Uttar Pradesh Introduces Virtual Evidence Recording System for Doctors to Expedite Court Cases
Lucknow: The Prosecution Department of Uttar Pradesh is planning to implement a new virtual evidence recording system for doctors to expedite court cases and reduce case backlog in the state. This initiative will allow government officials, including police officers and doctors, to provide testimony virtually in pending legal matters.
The state government is building a centralized computer system in various districts where police officers and medical professionals can record evidence from the office of the Joint Director of the Prosecution Department. This measure aims to streamline court proceedings and address the substantial number of pending cases in district courts.
Currently, police officers and doctors who act as investigating officers and provide medico-legal testimony must regularly travel to district courts to present evidence. However, due to frequent transfers and the expansive geographic size of Uttar Pradesh, this process can be cumbersome and time-consuming. The virtual system will alleviate these challenges, enabling officers and doctors to record evidence remotely, saving time and resources.
Commenting on the issue, UP Additional Director of Police (Prosecution) Dipesh Juneja told The Indian Express, "Now, because of the geographic size of Uttar Pradesh, it becomes difficult for these officers to physically go to district courts. For example, one officer who was posted in West UP and investigated a case there gets transferred to East UP. Now that officer has to take leave and travel all the way to the district where he was posted in the past. This results in loss of manpower and also requires huge amounts of funds for travel, lodging etc. The same is true for government doctors. We plan to have a centralized system where the officer or doctor can go and do it virtually through a computerized system. This will help us ensure speedy trials in cases, and also, save money.”
By early June, the Prosecution Department plans to roll out the initiative in five districts: Lucknow, Prayagraj, Varanasi, Noida, and Barabanki. Once an officer retires, they will be able to record evidence from their current location, eliminating the need to travel to different districts. This system is expected to improve the efficiency of legal proceedings in Uttar Pradesh and provide more convenience for government officers and doctors involved in court cases.
Explaining the need for the new system, Joint Director (Prosecution) Atul Kumar Ojha said, "We routinely come across cases which have been pending for close to a decade because of delays due to these issues. We hope to reduce the pendency of cases with this new system. This will also reduce the financial burden of the police department and government. We plan to appoint one coordinating officer at the Joint Director’s office in each district who will be in charge of this system."
