The recent proposal by the ministry to make it mandatory for the police to get the home secretary's permission to examine call data records (CDR) of people suspected to be involved in crimes is giving the police sleepless nights. If this proposal is approved by the central government, the police will have to wait for days or even weeks to get the nod from the home secretary's office to examine a call data record.
Mobile phones are an inseparable part of our lives and most people have them. The police, in recent times, have been relying on mobile phone usage to crack cases. CDR is the tool that has helped the police solve many crimes. If sources are to be believed at least 85 per cent of the crimes registered with the police have been solved with CDR help.
According to the statistics, a minimum two lakh cases are registered in the state every year. Considering the importance of CDR in solving a major chunk of these crimes, no wonder the police are unhappy over having to depend on permission from the home secretary's office to examine call records.
"CDR plays a very important role in crime detection. Now, police officers take permission from their zonal deputy commissioner to check call records, and proceeds with a case. If this proposal is passed by the Centre, it would certainly delay the investigation process, as by the time approval is given, it could be late," a source said.
However, those in favor of the amendment feel the police do not have the right to violate the privacy of the common man. Some sorts of norms have to be followed, they feel.
The proposal came about after the police examined the CDR of some high profile people for tracking their movements. This invited the wrath of many.
Dr. Amitabh Ranjan, additional chief secretary, home, said: "There is an all India legal framework for taking decisions, and there are Supreme Court judgments, which are binding on the state. When the rights of people are affected, there is a need for decentralization. There needs to be some accountability as far as privacy of people are concerned."
According another senior IPS officer, if the proposal gets the green signal, it would affect the promotion of officers. "Officers are judged by the number of cases they solve and if that takes time, it will reflect on their record. Not that there are no other methods to detect crime, but this is the most effective method to date," he added.
With many people pushing for the proposal to be accepted, the police are keeping their fingers crossed and hoping things would continue as they are.
No. of cases registered in Maharashtra:
2008: 2,06,243
2009: 1,99,598
2010: 2,08,168
2011: 2,04,902
2012: 2,02,700
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