Technology forms bedrock of new criminal laws, says Union home secretary

Bhopal, Nov 9 (PTI) Technology forms the bedrock of the new criminal laws, which aim to ensure a faster and more efficient justice delivery system by addressing the long-standing issue of delays, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan said here on Sunday.

Mohan said that the new criminal laws aim at decolonising India's criminal justice system and making it more victim-centric and technology-enabled.

He said the new laws introduced several provisions designed to minimise delays in investigation, trial, and other procedural stages.

"Technology forms the bedrock of the new criminal laws, which aim to ensure a faster and more efficient justice delivery system by addressing the long-standing issue of delays," he said at the two-day national conference on three new criminal laws held at the National Judicial Academy here.

The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam replaced the colonial era Indian Penal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Indian Evidence Act of 1872, respectively. The new laws came into effect on July 1, 2024.

The home secretary said the e-committee of the Supreme Court has played a pivotal role in driving the technological integration necessary for the effective implementation of the new laws.

These include e-Sakshya (electronic evidence), e-Summon (digital issuance and delivery of legal notices), community service (as an alternative sentencing mechanism), and Nyay Shruti (audio-visual systems for accessible justice delivery).

He said under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Centre is building a secure, transparent, and evidence-based criminal justice system.

Mohan said under the guidance of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the country has ushered in a new era of speedy justice.

The Union home secretary said technology forms the bedrock of the new criminal laws, which aim to ensure a faster and more efficient justice delivery system by addressing the long-standing issue of delays.

The new laws introduce several provisions designed to minimise delays in investigation, trial, and other procedural stages.

Mohan said that going forward, the focus must now shift to sustained adoption, continuous improvement, and institutionalisation of the reforms introduced under the three new criminal laws.

He said the state government should establish dedicated monitoring mechanisms to assess the progress of implementation, identify operational bottlenecks, and ensure timely updates of rules, notifications, and SOPs in alignment with evolving judicial and technological needs.

Police departments must prioritise complete digitisation of investigation and prosecution workflow, ensuring that systems such as e-Sakshya, e-Summons and ICJS are used as the default mode of operation, he said.

The home secretary said the judiciary, guided by the e-committee of the Supreme Court, National Judicial Academy and state judicial academies, should continue leading efforts in judicial process digitisation, ensuring full integration of court systems with police and prosecution platforms.

Regular feedback loops between the pillars, namely police, prosecution, forensics, prisons and judiciary, should be institutionalised for real-time issue resolution and improvement of digital workflow, he said.

Collectively, Mohan said, all stakeholders must foster a culture of collaboration, data-driven decision-making, and continuous innovation to fully realise the vision of a modern, efficient, and technology-enabled criminal justice system envisioned under the new laws.

The conference was attended by 120 participants from all states/UTs, covering three major pillars of the criminal justice system - judiciary, prosecution and police.

Notifications on e-Sakshya have been issued by 26 states/UTs, on e-summons by 24 states/UTs, on Nyaya-Shruti (videoconferencing) by 16 high courts covering 20 states/UTs and on community service as punishment by 28 states/UTs.

Under the new criminal laws, training of 15,30,790 police officers, 12,100 prosecution officers, 43,941 prison officers, 3,036 forensic scientists and 18,884 judicial officers has been completed.

As of today, around 50 lakh FIRs are registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), according to an official statement. Additionally, over 33 lakh charge sheets or final reports have been filed; 22 lakh Sakshya IDs have been created.

More than 14 lakh victims received automated case updates through digital notifications. More than 38 thousand zero FIRs registered since July 1 2024. PTI ACB MPL MPL