{"id":57481,"date":"2025-07-31T10:59:05","date_gmt":"2025-07-31T05:29:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=57481"},"modified":"2025-10-07T16:19:57","modified_gmt":"2025-10-07T10:49:57","slug":"daily-editorial-analysis-31-july-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/daily-editorial-analysis-31-july-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Daily Editorial Analysis 31 July 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><strong>India\u2019s Police Must Get Out of Dirty Harry\u2019s Shadow<\/strong><\/h2>\n<h3><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>In the dim light of a crime scene, <strong>two archetypes of policing emerge, Sherlock Holmes and Dirty Harry and Holmes is the emblem of reason: calm, methodical, and devoted to logic.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>He sifts through chaos with precision, guided by evidence and a belief that truth must be discovered, not forced.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Dirty Harry, on the other hand, represents the opposite: brash, violent<\/strong>, and dismissive of rules; Justice, for him, is delivered swiftly, regardless of procedure or accuracy.<\/li>\n<li><strong>These fictional figures reflect two very real and divergent models of policing in India.<\/strong> In a nation governed by law, the pressing question is not <strong>just how we catch criminals, but what kind of justice we are willing to accept, one driven by truth or one fuelled by vengeance.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>The Cost of Impunity: A National Crisis<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>The <strong>death of 27-year-old Ajith Kumar in police custody<\/strong> in Tamil Nadu is <strong>not an aberration but a symptom of a deeper malaise. <\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Despite previous reform recommendations<\/strong>, including those from <strong>the Tamil Nadu Police Commission, torture and custodial violence remain rampant. <\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Between 2018 and 2023, <strong>687 people died in police custody across Indian, <\/strong>average of two to three deaths per week. States <strong>like Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu top this grim list.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>These figures are likely understatements.<\/strong> Many deaths are cloaked under vague labels like suicide or natural causes.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Torture often occurs away from formal detention spaces<\/strong>, in police vans, remote buildings, or even cow sheds, as in Ajith\u2019s case.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Most victims come from India&#8217;s most marginalised communities<\/strong>: daily-wage labourers, Dalits, tribals, migrants, and slum dwellers.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Thus, custodial torture is not merely an issue of poor policing, it is an expression of structural violence<\/strong> rooted in caste, class, and power disparities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>The Legal and Moral Vacuum<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Despite multiple legal safeguards, from the <strong>Supreme Court\u2019s D.K. Basu (1996) guidelines to the reaffirmation of bodily autonomy in K.S. Puttaswamy (2017), custodial violence remains entrenched. <\/strong><\/li>\n<li>The <strong>273rd Report of the Law Commission (2017) strongly recommended a dedicated anti-torture law,<\/strong> but Parliament has failed to act.<\/li>\n<li><strong>India still has not ratified<\/strong> the United Nations Convention Against Torture.<\/li>\n<li><strong>In 2025, the Global Torture Index ranked India as a high-risk country<\/strong>, an indictment that must not be ignored.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>The Scientific and Strategic Case Against Torture<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>The argument against custodial torture <strong>extends beyond ethics and legality, it is grounded in science. <\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Torture<\/strong>, popularised in media as a tool for urgent truth extraction, <strong>is in fact counterproductive.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>In his book Why Torture Doesn\u2019t Work, <strong>neuroscientist Shane O\u2019Mara explains how torture disrupts brain regions essential for memory and reasoning. <\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Victims, impaired and desperate, often provide false information<\/strong> just to stop the pain.<\/li>\n<li>Historical examples reinforce this. <strong>During the Algerian War, torture by French forces led to false intelligence. <\/strong><\/li>\n<li>The <strong>CIA\u2019s infamous enhanced interrogation techniques failed to produce actionable insights<\/strong>, as concluded by the U.S.<\/li>\n<li>Senate Intelligence Committee\u2019s 2014 report. <strong>Worse still, these methods misdirected investigations and wasted precious time. <\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>The case of Ajith Kumar, where a coerced confession led to a cow shed<\/strong> instead of evidence, tragically <strong>echoes this pattern.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>What Actually Works: The Case for Reform<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>The <strong>United Kingdom\u2019s response to the wrongful conviction of six men<\/strong> in the Birmingham pub bombings was to <strong>move away from confession-based policing<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>It adopted the PEACE model,<\/strong> Preparation and Planning, Engage and Explain, Account, Closure, and Evaluation.<\/li>\n<li>This <strong>method prioritises rapport, open-ended questioning, and transparency<\/strong>, reducing false confessions and increasing both conviction accuracy and public trust.<\/li>\n<li><strong>This model has been successfully adopted by other nations<\/strong>, including Norway, Canada, and New Zealand.<\/li>\n<li>The <strong>European Committee for the Prevention of Torture endorses it,<\/strong> and peer-reviewed studies by the U.S. High-Value Detainee Interrogation Group confirm its effectiveness over coercive methods.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Real-world examples further affirm this<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Norwegian police obtained a full confession from mass murderer Anders Breivik<\/strong> through calm, professional questioning.<\/li>\n<li>In the U.S., <strong>Najibullah Zazi, involved in a terror plot, cooperated fully with investigators who treated him respectfully,<\/strong> leading to the <strong>dismantling of a broader network<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Every custodial death is not just a tragedy<\/strong>; it is a declaration of the state\u2019s failure to protect its citizens.<\/li>\n<li><strong>India must act decisively. Ratifying the UN Convention Against Torture<\/strong>, enacting a standalone anti-torture law, embedding the PEACE model into police training, and <strong>enforcing zero tolerance for custodial abuse are immediate, achievable reforms.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>When truth can be found without violence, <\/strong>when the facts can emerge through patience and intellect, as Sherlock Holmes shows us, <strong>why should we endorse Dirty Harry\u2019s path of destruction?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>India\u2019s Police Must Get Out of Dirty Harry\u2019s Shadow FAQs<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Q1. <\/strong>Who are the two contrasting models of policing described in the text?<br \/>\n<strong>Ans. <\/strong>The two contrasting models are Sherlock Holmes, who represents logical and evidence-based policing, and Dirty Harry, who represents violent, rule-breaking policing.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q2. <\/strong>What does the case of Ajith Kumar highlight about Indian policing?<br \/>\n<strong>Ans. <\/strong>The case of Ajith Kumar highlights the prevalence of custodial torture and the failure of the system to protect citizens from police brutality.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q3.<\/strong> Why is torture considered ineffective according to scientific research?<br \/>\n<strong>Ans. <\/strong>Scientific research shows that torture impairs memory and cognitive function, causing victims to give false or unreliable information.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q4. <\/strong>What is the PEACE model of interrogation?<br \/>\n<strong>Ans. <\/strong>The PEACE model is a non-coercive interrogation technique that focuses on preparation, open-ended questioning, and rapport-building.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q5. <\/strong>What reforms does the essay suggest for Indian policing?<br \/>\n<strong>Ans. <\/strong>India should ratify the UN Convention Against Torture, enact an anti-torture law, and adopt the PEACE model in police training.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/opinion\/lead\/indias-police-must-get-out-of-dirty-harrys-shadow\/article69874750.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Hindu<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><strong>Boost the Capacity of Legal Aid Systems<\/strong><\/h2>\n<h3><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Access to justice is a constitutional promise in India, <strong>yet the gap between principle and practice remains stark. <\/strong><\/li>\n<li>The <strong>Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987, mandates free legal aid<\/strong> for approximately 80% of India&#8217;s population.<\/li>\n<li>Despite this expansive objective, <strong>the actual outreach of legal aid services remains significantly limited. <\/strong><\/li>\n<li>The <strong>analysis of recent trends, particularly between April 2023 and March 2024, exposes both structural strengths<\/strong> <strong>and glaring systemic weaknesses<\/strong> that continue to hinder equitable access to justice.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>Concerns Surrounding Free Legal Aid <\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\">\n<h4><strong>Modest Reach Amidst Expansive Mandate<\/strong><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>In 2023\u201324, only 15.5 lakh people availed legal aid services<\/strong>, an increase of 28% from the previous year\u2019s 12.14 lakh.<\/li>\n<li>Although this rise appears promising, <strong>it pales in comparison to the sheer scale of India&#8217;s eligible population. <\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Legal aid services are typically offered through front offices in local courts<\/strong>, prisons, and juvenile justice boards, supported by empanelled lawyers.<\/li>\n<li>In rural areas, <strong>legal aid clinics serve as important access points.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Yet, the India Justice Report 2025 highlights that there is merely one legal service clinic for every 163 villages,<\/strong> underscoring the skewed distribution and limited penetration of services, especially in remote regions.<\/li>\n<li>The <strong>situation is aggravated by inconsistent financial and human resource support.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h4><strong>Budgetary Constraints and Skewed Prioritisation<\/strong><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>Legal aid services receive <strong>less than 1%<\/strong> of the total justice budget, which includes police, prisons, judiciary, and legal aid combined.<\/li>\n<li>Funding is provided <strong>both by State governments and the Centre<\/strong> through the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA).<\/li>\n<li>While the cumulative <strong>allocation rose from \u20b9601 crore in 2017\u201318 to \u20b91,086 crore in 2022\u201323,<\/strong> primarily due to an increase in State contributions, NALSA\u2019s share declined from \u20b9207 crore to \u20b9169 crore.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Even more concerning is the declining utilisation rate of NALSA funds<\/strong>, which dropped from 75% to 59% over the same period.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h4><strong>Inadequate Per Capita Spending<\/strong><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>Per capita expenditure on legal aid has <strong>increased from \u20b93 to \u20b97 since 2019<\/strong>, but remains far from adequate.<\/li>\n<li><strong>States like Haryana lead with \u20b916 per capita spending<\/strong>, while populous and vulnerable states like Bihar (\u20b93), <strong>West Bengal (\u20b92), and Uttar Pradesh (\u20b94) fall below the national average of \u20b96. <\/strong><\/li>\n<li>This <strong>unevenness not only highlights disparities in fiscal commitment but also signals an inequitable access<\/strong> to quality legal services across regions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h4><strong>Decline of the Frontline: Para-Legal Volunteers<\/strong><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>One of the most alarming trends is the <strong>reduction in para-legal volunteers (PLVs<\/strong>), trained individuals who act as community-level intermediaries and educators.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Between 2019 and 2024<\/strong>, <strong>their numbers dropped by 38%,<\/strong> with deployment plummeting from 22,000 in 2019\u201320 to just 14,000 in 2023\u201324.<\/li>\n<li>Despite their pivotal role, <strong>PLVs are poorly compensated; in most states, their daily honorarium remains below minimum wage levels. <\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Kerala is an exception, <strong>offering \u20b9750 per day,<\/strong> while states like Gujarat and Mizoram pay only \u20b9250\u2014barely enough to cover daily sustenance.<\/li>\n<li>This <strong>fiscal neglect severely undermines the sustainability<\/strong> and motivation of this critical workforce.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>Innovations and Missed Opportunities: The LADC Scheme<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Since 2022, NALSA has attempted to address quality concerns<\/strong> in legal representation through the Legal Aid Defence Counsel (LADC) scheme, modelled after public defender systems.<\/li>\n<li><strong>With \u20b9200 crore fully utilised in 2023\u201324<\/strong> and the scheme operational in 610 out of 670 districts, early indications suggest promise.<\/li>\n<li>However, its <strong>budget has already been slashed to \u20b9147.9 crore for 2024\u201325.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>While still in its infancy, <strong>the LADC could alleviate the burden on empanelled lawyers and improve legal aid delivery, <\/strong>but only if sustained through robust policy and financial support.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>Structural Deficiencies and the Way Forward<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Despite incremental financial improvements and administrative innovations, <strong>legal aid in India suffers from enduring deficiencies, <\/strong>uneven quality, low public trust, and insufficient accountability.<\/li>\n<li>These <strong>challenges are compounded by chronic underfunding<\/strong> and misallocation of existing resources.<\/li>\n<li>The <strong>over-regulation of fund utilisation hampers local initiative<\/strong>, while poor compensation and declining deployment of key personnel like PLVs compromise outreach and impact.<\/li>\n<li>If legal aid services are to fulfil their constitutional mandate, <strong>a radical recalibration is necessary. Ans this includes:<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Increasing budgetary allocation<\/strong> and ensuring it is commensurate with the scale of need.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Flexible and needs-based fund utilisation<\/strong>, allowing local units to address contextual challenges.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Fair compensation<\/strong> and wider deployment of para-legal volunteers.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Sustained investment<\/strong> in promising schemes like the LADC with mechanisms for quality assurance and impact evaluation.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Greater integration with community justice mechanisms<\/strong> to develop trust and awareness.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>The legal aid framework in India stands at a crossroads<\/strong> and while legislative intent and institutional infrastructure exist, the system remains underpowered.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Enhancing financial support, human resources<\/strong>, and decentralised governance <strong>can turn legal aid from a symbolic gesture into a tangible reality. <\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Only then can India ensure that justice is not just a lofty ideal,<\/strong> but a lived experience for all its citizens, regardless of economic status or geographic location.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>Boost the Capacity of Legal Aid Systems FAQs<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Q1. <\/strong>What is the main goal of legal services institutions in India?<br \/>\n<strong>Ans. <\/strong>The main goal of legal services institutions in India is to provide free legal aid to around 80% of the population, especially the economically and socially vulnerable.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q2. <\/strong>Why is the reach of legal aid services still limited?<br \/>\n<strong>Ans. <\/strong>The reach remains limited due to low funding, poor resource utilisation, and an uneven distribution of legal aid clinics and personnel.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q3. <\/strong>What role do para-legal volunteers play in the legal aid system?<br \/>\n<strong>Ans. <\/strong>Para-legal volunteers create awareness, help resolve disputes, and act as a bridge between communities and legal services.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q4. <\/strong>What is the LADC scheme introduced by NALSA?<br \/>\n<strong>Ans. <\/strong>The Legal Aid Defence Counsel (LADC) scheme is a central program to provide dedicated legal aid to accused persons, modeled on the public defender system.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q5. <\/strong>What are some key issues facing legal aid in India today?<br \/>\n<strong>Ans. <\/strong>Key issues include inadequate budgets, poor compensation for frontline workers, restricted fund usage, and lack of accountability.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/opinion\/op-ed\/boost-the-capacity-of-legal-aid-systems\/article69874191.ece#:~:text=Although%20States%20are%20making%20efforts,infusions%20of%20money%20and%20manpower.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">The Hindu<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Daily Editorial Analysis 31 July 2025 by Vajiram &#038; Ravi covers key editorials from The Hindu &#038; Indian Express with UPSC-focused insights and relevance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":50653,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[138],"tags":[141,882,909],"class_list":{"0":"post-57481","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-daily-editorial-analysis","8":"tag-daily-editorial-analysis","9":"tag-the-hindu-editorial-analysis","10":"tag-the-indian-express-analysis","11":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57481","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57481"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57481\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50653"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57481"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57481"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57481"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}