Recent amendments made to Section 41 of CrPC aim at ending arbitrary arrests, police detention

Over 1,23,000 women arrested and jailed in the last four years without investigation: Uma Challa

Hyderabad: The recent amendments made to Section 41 of Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which aims at ending arbitrary arrests and detention by police, has found strong support from Save Indian Family Foundation (SIFF), a city-based NGO.

Members of the foundation demanded the government to implement the CrPC amendment, thereby putting an end to arbitrary arrests, during a press conference here on Tuesday.

They wanted a three member committee to be formed with powers to summon and punish errant police officers so that the load on criminal judicial system was reduced. “The amendment is expected to reduce corruption and extortions in police stations and will also decrease the number of false complaints,” said Uma Challa, member of SIFF. If the law was notified in the Gazette at the earliest, police would be free from involvement in personal and political disputes, she said and added that the move will also bridge the gap between police and citizens.

Ms. Challa said more than 1,23,000 women were arrested and jailed in the last four years without investigation under the Section 498A of IPC. With reference to the third report from National Police Commission, she said 60 per cent of the arrests were unnecessary and unjustified and accounted for 43.2 per cent of expenditure of prison departments. The amendment will strongly improve the existing condition of Human Rights all over the country as violating them has become a trend, Ms. Challa said.