Shubham Krishna & Rishika Gupta, Indore Institute Of Law, Indore
ABSTRACT
The importance of witness is fundamental in criminal justice system of India. Their testimony plays a decisive role in reaching the conclusion of the case. Witnesses who are the crucial participants in the trial and regarded as eyes and ears of the court are turning hostile with unpredictable irregularity. The reason behind this is involvement of high profile personalities in commission of offences. Sadly, India still lacks a well-functioning witness protection programme despite various attempts. So a proper legislation for witness protection is need of an hour. The acquittal of sensational criminals is on rise due to the defection of loyalty of witnesses. These all leads to failure of criminal justice system. The common problem behind all these is the lack of witness protection laws. It deals with how the Supreme Court guidelines and 198th Commission Report aids in protection of witnesses. The paper highlights the attempt made as well as the necessity and importance of witness protection laws in reference to various judicial pronouncements.
Keywords: Witness, Hostile, Protection, Initiative & Witness Protection Scheme
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