Advocate-General Ravivarma Kumar on Monday urged the State government to keep the public prosecutors “insulated” from investigating agencies and the Home Department. Speaking at the valedictory function of the 12th State-level conference by the Karnataka State Prosecuting Officers’ Association, Mr. Kumar said prosecutors cannot be “agents” and are primarily public servants.
“The prosecution must be independent as it cannot function well without professional independence,” he said, adding that prosecutors must be free from any pressure that would come in the way of exercising their independence.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who presided over the function, said there should be proper coordination between the prosecution and the investigating agency before the charge sheet is prepared to avoid complications. “There may be change of witnesses or in the statements made by them. So to avoid such confusion, there must be co-ordination between the two,” he said.
Mr. Siddaramaiah said there should be speedy progress in cases and added there was a requirement of changing laws to fit today’s society. “We have been following the same laws since the 19th century. The society has changed and people have changed; so we also need to look at whether the law too needs to be changed,” he added. He also said he would look into the demands of the prosecution, which included filling vacant posts of prosecutors. Director of Prosecutions and Government Litigation Chandrashekhar Hiremath said about 198 posts are vacant and about 7,000 applicants would appear for the exam soon.
