Today'sPaperOPINION

Thepossibilityofexecutinginerror
UshaRamanathan
WithtutoringandtorturerecordedbythemagistrateinSurinderKolisconfession,evenifcourtshavefoundKolilegallyculpable,can
weallowtheriskofanerror?

indefinite:ThenumberofchildrenwhowentmissingintheNitharicaseisstillunclear.Pictureshowsfamilymembersofthemissingchildren
seekingjusticeduringayatrain2007.Photo:SubirRoy

Thereisaproblemwiththedeathpenaltythatissquarelyacknowledgedinthelaw.Section194oftheIndianPenal
Codesays:ifanyonefabricatesfalseevidenceandapersonisconvictedandgiventhedeathsentenceasaconsequence
ofsuchevidence,andishangedfortheoffence,thenthepersonwhogivessuchfalseevidenceshallalsobepunished
withdeath.Herethelawrecognisesthepossibilityoferrorthatmayoccurbecauseoffabricatedfalseevidence.In1989,
ParliamentimportedthisprovisionintoSection3(2)oftheScheduledCastesandScheduledTribes(Preventionof
Atrocities)Actin1989.
The1989lawwasareflectionofthevulnerabilityinducedbysocietalandinstitutionalbiases,povertyandhistoryof
whattheActsStatementofObjectsandReasonstermsindignities,humiliationandharassment.Thepotentialfor
thesecircumstancesofbirthandhistoryproducingerrorinthetreatmentofDalitsandtribals,whichcouldresultina
personwhoisinnocentoftheoffencewithwhichheischargedbeingexecuted,ischilling.TheNationalCommission
forScheduledCastesisavowedlycommittedtothefullimplementationofthePreventionofAtrocitiesAct,andthe
Presidentowesaresponsibilityinensuringthatthecastesscheduledinhisnameareprotected.Thisbecomes
significantintheNitharicase.
Nitharimurders
ThetaleoftheNitharimurdersisoneofunimaginablehorror.Thenumberofchildrenwholargelybelongedtomigrant
workersfamiliesandwhowentmissing,onlytoreappearayearortwolater,isstillunclear.Somesaytherewere16,
somesay18andothers23.Theremainsofthechildrenwerestashedinthedrainsrunninginfrontofandbehinda
houseintheneighbourhoodwheretheylived.Talesofcannibalism,towhichtheservantaccusedapparentlyconfessed,
alsoemerged.In2007,whentheMinistryofWomenandChildDevelopment(MWCD)setupacommitteeto
investigateintoallegationsoflargescalesexualabuse,rapeandmurderofchildreninNithari,thereportrecorded
thatthepolicehadnotregisteredmissingpersonsreportsorfiledFIRstillsuchtimeitbecameimperativeforthemto
dosoinviewofthecourtorderandgrowingmediacriticism.Bythen,thedisappearanceofchildreninNitharihad
becomeanepidemic.
TheMWCDcommitteereportedthattheChiefMedicalSuperintendent,underwhosesupervisionthepostmortemwas
conductedafterassemblingthebones/skullsfoundatthesite,toldthecommitteethatitwasintriguingtoobserve
themiddlepart(torso)wasmissing.Accordingtohim,suchmissingtorsosgiverisetoasuspicionthatwrongfuluse
ofbodiesfororgansale,etc.couldbepossible.(and)thesurgicalprecisionwithwhichthebodieswerecutalso
pointedtothisfact.Also,hecautioned,hedidnotfavourthetheoryofcannibalismasitcouldbearusetodivert
attentionfromthemissingpartsofthebodies.
Thecommittee,basedonitsfieldvisitsandprobe,askedthattheCBI[to]lookintoallanglesincludingorgantrade.
ThereisneedtostudytheorgantransplantrecordsofallhospitalsinNoidaoverthelastfewyears,theysaid,to
studythepatternandtrendoftheseoperationsandtracethedonorsandrecipients.
Thereisnothingintherecordsconnectedwiththecasetosuggestthatanyofthiswastakenseriously.Thereisjusta
passingreferenceintheHighCourtjudgmentaboutakidneyscammatterin1997connectedwithaneighbour,but
nothingmore.
SurinderKoli,whoisunderasentenceofdeath,wastheservantintheblightedhouse.AstheHighCourtclarifieseven
attheoutset,thecasehingesoncircumstantialevidence.Kolisconfessionisthefulcrum.Koliwaspickedupbythe
policeonDecember29,2006,aswashisemployerMoninderSinghPandher.Kolisconfessionwasrecordedbeforea
magistrateonMarch2andMarch3,2007,overtwomonthsafterhehadbeentakenintopolicecustody.
InaconfessionbeforethemagistratewhereKoliishazyinhisrecollectionofwhathappened,heremembersthe
namesofeachofthevictimsandisabletoidentifytheminphotographsshowntohim.Thisintriguesthemagistrate
whoaskshim:Howdoyourememberthephotograph?Towhichhesays,This,thepolicehastoldmeaboutallthe

photos.AtthattimeIusedtobeinacompleteintoxicatedtypestate,soIdidnotknowanything.And,again,Kolisays
heknewtwoofthevictimsfrombefore.[The]restofthenamesnamesafterlookingatthephotosthepolicehas
toldme,hesays,andsooninpages27,28,29,30and36ofthetranslatedconfession.Andonpage30,hesays,Iwas
torturedalotandonlythentheymademeconfess.Herepeats:Iwasmadetosufferalotoftorture.Thistooisin
thesameconfessionwhichthecourtshavereliedontoconvictKoli.
Unansweredquestions
Therearetoomanyquestionsthatareleftunansweredinthiscase.Wastheorgantradingaspectinvestigated?Isthe
explanationofcannibalism,ofwhichthereisnoevidenceotherthantheconfession,aredherringlikethecivilsurgeon
believed?Thepolicehadbeencaughtnappingwhilemanychildrendisappeared.Whatimpactdidthathaveontheway
theinvestigationproceeded?WhatimpactdidithaveonKolisconfession?IfKoliweretoberemovedfromthescene,
whatwillhappentothe15casesstillpending?Ifheweretobeexecutedinerror,therewouldbenoremedy.The1989
AtrocitiesActrecognisesthisandsuggeststhatthisshouldbepreventedfromhappening.
Withtutoringandtorturerecordedbythemagistrateintheconfession,evenifcourtshavefoundKolilegallyculpable,
canweallowtheriskofanerroraboutwhat,ifany,partheplayedinthisepisode?Andproceedtohanghim?
(UshaRamanathanworksonthejurisprudenceoflawandpovertyandBezwadaWilsoniswiththeSafai
KarmachariAndolan.)
IfKoliweretobeexecutedinerror,therewouldbenoremedyanditisthisthatthe1989Atrocities
Actrecognises