What people remember is the way District Sessions Judge B.K. Naik broke the nib after writing three judgments on December 21, 2013 and sentenced to life Mohan Kumar on finding him guilty of murder of three women by administering cyanide. But seldom did the contribution of then Special Public Prosecutor Cheyabba Beary for effectively presenting the case of the prosecution come to light. All this changed early this month with Superintendent of Police Sharanappa S.D. sending a certificate to Mr. Beary, who has since resigned from the post, commending his services in getting the conviction in the case that was keenly contested by the accused in person. Annexed with this certificate was the list of cases in which Mr. Beary had worked, which ended in conviction.
Mr. Beary is not alone. Mr. Sharanappa has sent similar commendation certificates to 14 prosecutors who have worked in criminal cases that ended in conviction of the accused in the period between August 2012 and July 2015.
Mr. Sharanappa told The Hindu on Sunday that this was an initiative to boost the confidence of prosecutors, who form an integral part of the criminal justice system. “It is these officers who are toiling hard to effectively place before the court the evidence that we have gathered. Without their efforts, it is difficult to take criminal cases to their logical conclusion,” he said.
Mr. Sharanappa decided to take up this initiative following a meeting with his officers where the need for encouraging prosecutors working in the Sessions court and magistrate courts was stressed.
It was in the first week of December that Mr. Sharanappa obtained a list of prosecutors who have worked in criminal cases that have ended in conviction in the two-year period. “We worked systematically. Certificates have been issued to all the 15 prosecutors,” he said.
