Bhubaneswar: Recognising the coordinated efforts behind successful criminal prosecutions, the Odisha Police on Wednesday felicitated 66 police officers and government lawyers for their contribution to investigation, prosecution and securing convictions in sensitive and important cases.
The felicitation ceremony, organised by the Crime Branch at Police Bhawan, was attended by Director General of Police Yogesh Bahadur Khurania as the chief guest. Officers, government counsel and investigating personnel who played key roles in successful convictions were presented certificates of appreciation.
Those honoured included 24 investigating officers, 11 supervising officers, 23 government lawyers and eight Superintendents of Police from different districts.
Among the recipients were IGP (Home Guards and Fire Services) Uma Shankar Das; former Jharsuguda SP Smith P. Parmar; Koraput SP Rohit Barma; former Kandhamal SPs Harish B.C. and Shubhendu Kumar Patra; Keonjhar SP Nitin Kushalkar; Brahmapur SP Saravana Vivek M.; Sambalpur SP Mukesh Kumar Bhamu; and former Baliguda SDPO Rahul Goel.
Several other supervising officers, government counsel and investigating officers were also recognised for their role in strengthening the prosecution of criminal cases.
Focus on police-prosecution coordination
Addressing the gathering, DGP Khurania highlighted the importance of close coordination between the investigating and prosecution teams in securing convictions.
He said the new criminal laws, which came into force on July 1, 2024, have made the criminal justice system more victim-centric and forensic-based, while also providing for completion of proceedings within prescribed time limits.
According to the DGP, effective coordination from crime scene investigation to presentation of final arguments before the court has contributed to better outcomes in criminal cases and helped improve the conviction rate.
He emphasised that investigation and prosecution should work as complementary components of the criminal justice system, particularly in sensitive cases where evidence collection, forensic examination and effective presentation before courts are critical.
Officers behind Nyaya Samhita exhibition felicitated
The ceremony also recognised police officers and personnel involved in organising the ‘Nyaya Samhita Pradarshani–2026’, a week-long exhibition held from March 6 to 12 at the IDCO Exhibition Ground in Unit-3, Bhubaneswar.
The exhibition was organised to create public awareness about the new criminal laws and promote legal literacy. It drew more than one lakh visitors during its run.
The event was planned under the guidance of a high-level committee headed by the DGP and conducted under the supervision of DGP (Crime) Vinaytosh Mishra. Fifteen police officers involved in the successful organisation of the exhibition received the DGP’s certificates of appreciation.
Senior police officers present at the ceremony included DGP (Crime Branch) Vinaytosh Mishra, ADGP (Headquarters) Pratik Mohanty, DIG (STF) Kanwar Vishal Singh, DIGs of Crime Branch Batula Gangadhar and Madkar Sandeep Sampat, SP (Crime Branch) Vivekananda Sharma and other senior officers.
