[Answered] “Without any harmony and co-ordination among various institutions and bodies, a society cannot progress and live in peace.” Discuss in the light of recent brawl between Delhi police and lawyers.

Administration of justice is one of the most essential functions of a state. The principle of rule of law is the bedrock upon which the constitution of a nation is built. Although it is the duty of the judiciary to ensure that those who commit offence of any kind do not go unpunished, it is also the duty of police to ensure law and order in the state. This calls for a fine balance, harmony and co-ordination between the two instructions to work for societal peace and prosperity with focus on individual human rights and social interests while combating crime.

Need of harmony and co-ordination among police and court institutions for peace and harmony:

1. The criminal justice system is enforced through a continuum of separate, but interlinked and interdependent subsystems: police and courts. Without harmony among them, peace and prosperity cannot be achieved as this would lead to state of disorder and lawlessness.
2. Court ensure law enforcement by prosecution of the persons apprehended by the police for violent conduct, adjudicates upon the question of their innocence or guilt, administers punishment if needed, and provide for the correction and rehabilitation of the persons adjudged legally guilty. Thus both must work in co-ordination without marred by tussles.
3. Harmony among them is important for social interests through the prevention and control of crime and delinquency.
4. Proper Administration of justice is a must for every democracy to succeed. It is therefore need to encourage harmony among them.
5. To maintain order and peace in society and to prevent, detect and control crime, the state provides law enforcement machinery, particularly the police and courts, with wide ranging powers. If used arbitrarily against each other, these powers could impinge each other working.
6. If two systems do not work in harmony, criminals will go unpunished and would lead to an atmosphere of chaos.
7. The courts and the police establishment are the two faces of the coin of justice, and it is essential, for the rule of law to prevail, that they work in close proximity and harmony. Any dissonance, or friction, between them, is deleterious to peace and harmony, and destructive of public interest, in the long run.

Recent brawl between police and lawyers is dangerous as criminal would go unpunished. Therefore, there is an urgent need to establish harmony between the two systems, because investigation of crime by the police and the prosecuting machinery need to work in co-ordination. Lack of continuous and effective co-ordination amongst the law enforcement agencies, i.e. the police, magistracy, judiciary and correctional administration in general, and the police and prosecuting agencies in particular is not good for whole society.