5 Sep 2025: New Delhi – Delhi Police has decided that only formal police witnesses can give their testimony through video calls from police stations. Material witnesses, who are more important to cases, must still come to court in person.
The order came on Thursday from the police commissioner’s office. Special Commissioner Devesh Chandra Shrivastava signed the new rules that make a clear difference between two types of police witnesses.
Understanding the Two Types of Witnesses
A formal police witness is the officer who writes down the complaint or signs the FIR. These officers do basic paperwork when someone files a case. They are not deeply involved in solving the crime.
A material witness is different. This is the investigating officer who actually solves the case. They collect evidence, recover weapons, and prepare important reports. These officers know the most about what really happened in a crime.
The police order says formal witnesses can use video calls to save time. But material witnesses must still go to court in person because their testimony is too important.
Bar Association Protests the Decision
Lawyers are not happy with this decision. The All District Courts Bar Association has called for a new strike starting Monday. They say this was not what they discussed with Home Minister Amit Shah earlier this week.
“The agitation now will be in a more intensified manner,” the lawyers’ committee said in a statement.
The lawyers had already protested last week against video testimony. They blocked roads near six district courts in Delhi. They believe video testimony from police stations could help police change evidence unfairly.
Why Police Want Video Testimony
Police officers say video calls would save them time. They often wait hours in court only to have cases postponed. One officer explained that video calls would let them attend multiple court hearings quickly and still do their daily police work.
The Delhi High Court has delayed hearing a case about this issue for eight weeks. The court noted that Delhi Police has temporarily stopped the original plan for now.
The new order tries to balance both sides. It speeds up simple testimony while keeping important witnesses in court where judges can question them properly.
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Updated 5 Sep 2025, 03:44 IST; source: link
