Uttar Pradesh has decided to go for court trials through video conferencing to check incidents of criminals escaping from police custody while being taken for hearing. Announcing this today, Principal Secretary (Home) R M Srivastava said the decision to conduct video trials is in accordance with the government’s policy to emphasise on use scientific methods in checking crime. He said the decision will come into force at 65 jails of the state by the end of June. Once the service starts, police will no longer be required to bring under-trials to the court, Srivastava said, asserting that the decision will not only check incidents of criminals escaping from custody, but will also bring down transportation expenses. He further said the Home Department will start preparing a category-wise list of criminals in 97,000 villages of the state based on the types of crime they are involved in. Director General of Police A C Sharma said a special campaign will be launched next year to check communal elements in the state. PTI
