The J&K administration is likely to come up with a witness protection scheme wherein protection will be provided to those people who directly and indirectly provide assistance to law enforcement agencies and overall administration of justice.
The scheme will be provided based on threat perception.
“The scheme has already been rolled out by different states. There have been discussions over it at different levels in UT. We are likely to notify it,” a senior official said, as per news agency KNO, adding that government will come up with a series of measures to be adopted to safeguard witnesses and their family members from intimidation and threats against their lives, reputation and property.
He said the protection will be provided to witnesses on a case to case basis depending upon their vulnerability and threat perception. “The witness protection measures will be proportionate to the threat for a specific period,” he said, adding that the measure will ensure improved convictions in criminal cases.
It defines vulnerable witnesses as children below 18 years of age, victims of sexual violence, material witness in dangerous crimes and such other witness as may be deemed by trial court for reasons thereof to be record in writing.
