POLICE AND HUMAN RIGHTS: This project aims to look into the very basic idea of Human Rights with respect to the police processes especially in the case of arrest for this purpose the law of arrest in India will be compared with International Conventions.

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CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Although the courts have not assumed to define ‘liberty’ with any great precision, that term is not confined to mere freedom from bodily restraint. Liberty under law extends to the full range of conduct, which the individual is free to pursue, and it cannot be restricted except for a proper governmental objective”…. Warren. Former Chief Justice of Supreme Court of United States

Human Right violations by a law enforcement agency like Police is a universal malady but in a democratic set-up, the operational styles of the public institutions should be geared to respond to the needs of the good governance and that is assured by the special aspect that they draw sustenance from the people’s support and elicit public participation in their working. This weight of democratic accountability on the law enforcement agencies must lead towards a consistent and humane environment so that the human rights culture, which is desired by the most, must be positively promoted. Across the world there is a revamping of institutions of Government in the light of the well–recognized human rights standards. Human Rights are inherent in a person by virtue of his/her being a human. They comprise both civil and political rights as well as economic, social and cultural rights. Criminal justice as a vital institution is also reoriented in the same spirit. However, there are problems of human rights violations by criminal justice agencies.

One of the processes that impose a major threat to the liberty of the individual is that of arrest. This is very much required in various cases for the protection of the larger interests of the society; at the same time, the same law of arrest can be misused by the police for the numerous crimes that may be committed behind the bars of the police station, one of them being the police atrocities. Under this scenario, the researcher tries to look into the specific area of human rights issues in the pre-trial process mainly that of arrest in the due course of paper, The question has arisen time and again as to why the importance is given to the protection of Human Rights at the pre-trial stage? One of the reasons can be that, if a wrong is done to an arrested person at the beginning of the process, it cannot be corrected at any stage whatsoever as this is the basis of the whole trial. As it is true that a lot of Human Rights violations take place during the arrest procedure only, which is an insult to the dignity of an individual? To make sure that the power to arrest is not arbitrary exercised by the police officer Article 22 of the constitution of India and chapter V of criminal procedure code provides direction for safeguards against arbitrary arrest. But the question to be answered here is whether these provisions fulfill the purpose they are enacted for?

The emphasis on the importance of the Human Rights in police functioning means that a system of ideal regulation of the police organization, which helps it to hold high ideals and continuously monitor its own functioning. There always remains a need to have a balance between the interests of the society and that liberty of the individual and to maintain that balance; the researcher tries to look into two main questions that-How can the probable misuse by the police force (pertaining to arrest) be restricted? Are the existing provisions sufficient? Also the Scope, object, rights of the arrestee, consequences of illegal arrest and judicial activism will be analysed in the due course of the research paper. In so doing, emphasis will be laid on the jurisprudence of the Human Rights Conventions also.

Objectives and Significance:

This project aims to look into the very basic idea of Human Rights with respect to the police processes especially in the case of arrest for this purpose the law of arrest in India will be compared with International Conventions. This would facilitate in understanding not only the law that is applicable in India, but also facilitates to incorporate the enhanced manner of dealing with the issue of rights of the arrested persons. The researcher also aims to look into the important and landmark Judgements by the Courts in order to understand the role that the Judiciary plays in improving the mechanism of the law relating to arrest and incorporation of International Human Rights covenants into the Indian law (by the Judiciary).

In the concluding part of the research paper , an attempt would be made to suggest for the need and scope of the reforms in the process of law and also the necessary changes and modernization, which are required in the basic police standards, will be looked into, so that the Human Rights of an individual must not be violated .

Research Questions:        

The researcher aims at answering the following research questions in this paper :

1)      What do you understand by the concept of arrest? And how is it different from custody?

2)      What are the provisions and safeguards with respect to law of arrest, present in Code of Criminal Procedure and the International Human Rights covenants?

3)      What are the rights provided by the Constitution of India, Code of Criminal Procedure and the International Human Rights Covenants to the person so arrested?

4)      How has Judiciary played a role of activist in implementing and incorporating the rights of the arrestee from the International Human Rights covenants into the Indian laws?

5)      What are the main loopholes in the law of arrest due to which the arrestee’s rights are violated on a larger scale?

6)      What is the requirement? Is the requirement only for the police reforms or also the reforms in law of arrest?

7)      How the institutional as well as attitudinal psychology of Police can be changed in order to make them more sensitive towards the Human Rights of the arrestee?

ARREST-THE CONCEPT AND THE PROCESS

The word “arrest” has not been defined either in any procedural acts or in the several substantive acts, though Section .46 of the Code of Criminal Procedure lays down the mode of arrest to be effected. Arrest can be defined as “The act of taking the person into custody under the authority of law or by compulsion of another kind and includes that period from the moment he is placed under the restraint up to the time he is brought before an authority competent to order his continuous custody or release him”.

The Black’s Law Dictionary defines the “arrest” as – “The restrain of a person’s liberty in order to compel obedience to the order of a court of Justice, to ensure that a person charged or suspected of a crime may be forthcoming to answer it. To arrest a person is to restrain his liberty through some lawful authority. Arrest is to deprive a person of his liberty by legal authority. Taking, under a real or assumed authority, custody of another for the purpose of holding or detaining him to answer a criminal charge.

Here, it seems from the above different interpretations and analysis that the word arrest when used even in a layman sense refers to means the apprehension or restricting or the deprivation of one’s liberty. These interpretations also show that, mainly there can be atleast three requisites of arrest which are: Reasonable suspicion of guilt, nature and gravity of offences and existence of grounds justifying arrest.

It is important to mention here that, the Code of Criminal Procedure provides for mainly the three modes of arrest, which are: Submission to the custody by the word or action, Touching the body of the person to be arrested and Confining the body of arrested person.

Is there any need for the arrest, is the question that requires an explanation, while dealing with the concept and its related aspects itself. The reasons for the arrest can be enumerated as follows:

1) Securing attendance of accused at the trial: This is when it becomes sure that such attendance cannot be secured by summons or notice.

2) As a preventive or precautionary measure: In cases where there is imminent danger as to commission of a cognizable offence, or in case of habitual offender.

3) For obtaining correct name or address: This is when the person so arrested refuses to give the correct name and address when asked by the police.

4) For removing obstruction to the police: In his/her duty as the police officer.

5) For taking a person escaped from the police custody: As regards the person who has escaped from lawful custody.

6) For protecting the accused person himself or herself.

It becomes abundantly clear that the arrest should be affected only in cases where there it is absolutely necessary and to have prompt arrest in cases of danger to the society. It shows that the arrest must be made in certain cases only where it seems that it has become necessary to have prompt arrest in cases of danger to the society .The main reason is that the fundamental right to personal liberty is violated if the safeguards are not followed. Now, one more important aspect relating to the law of arrest is that of use of force while accomplishing the process of arrest. Should there be use of force at all? If yes, then how much use of force is justified? It has been an accepted principle that there has to be use of force in cases where there is no voluntary submission and the arrest is necessary. Justification for such use of force is that there is a duty on the police officer towards the society too. How far this justification holds good will be seen in the due course of the paper.

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Arrest and Custody: There is a difference between arrest and custody and the arrest is one of the modes under which a person can be brought to the custody of the police, there are various other means and reasons because of which a person may be brought to the custody of the police. This includes the reasons as to interrogate that person also. Therefore, mere act of taking a person into custody does not constitute an arrest unless that person knows, either at time when he first taken into custody or as soon thereafter as it is reasonably practicable to inform ...

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