Criminal Justice System-Call for Reform

The recent death of key accused in the Rs 23-crore Ghaziabad PF scam, Ashutosh Asthana, at UP’s Dasna district jail under highly mysterious circumstances reopens the debate of protection issues of key witnesses in the criminal justice system.
Ashutosh Asthana a man of ordinary standing had been instrumental in disbursement of PF in connivance with judicial officers and sitting judges of High Court and Supreme Court as has been alleged. He was well aware of the illegalities involving persons of high stature and standing in public life. BUt his sudden demise has sent a jolt to the investigation. It is indicative of several things:
1. The failure of the Criminal Justice System to provide protection and security to key suspects and witnesses
2. The power demonstrated by the invisible classes who have been successful in eliminating the accused and prematurely throttling the justice delivery system
The country needs to improve and modenise its systems and processes in order to stop a repetition of the incident. In the past, there has been numerous incidents of suspects being found dead or unavailable or witnesses turning hostile. In majority of the situations, the accused involved were people of high standing in society- the so called powerful class. This unholy nexus between the powerful and the criminal justice machinery must be put to an end.
The Criminal Justice must be brought out of the controls of the political class,
and most importantly, the suspects and witnesses must be provided adequate security and protection by the system itself.