As any police officer knows only too well, a charge or an accusation need not be proved at the time of detention. Just raising an accusation under a special law like UAPA of ideological opposition to the state is sufficient to obtain a remand. It is sufficient to brand political dissidents as criminals. It can also ensure denial of bail and a long spell in jail, while prosecutors deliberately delay the trial. If the accused are, after many years, acquitted and released, no police officer can be held to account for fabricating a charge-sheet which they themselves did not believe in the first place.
Posted on: Tue, 13 May 2014 09:52:12 +0000