Amit Shah asks Gujarat govt to implement 3 new criminal laws in police commissionerates by April 30
New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Thursday that the Gujarat government should ensure the implementation of the three new criminal laws in all police commissionerates by April 30 and across the state at the earliest.
Chairing a review meeting on the implementation of the criminal laws in Gujarat in presence of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Shah also said that the state government should issue circulars to ensure that the provisions of organised crime, terrorism, and mob lynching are not misused.
The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, which came into effect on July 1 last year, replaced the colonial-era Indian Penal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Indian Evidence Act of 1872, respectively.
Appreciating the work done so far by the Gujarat government in implementing the new laws, the home minister said the state government should ensure their implementation in all police commissionerates by April 30, and across the state at the earliest, according to an official statement.
He said it should be reviewed monthly by the chief minister, fortnightly by the state home minister and weekly at the level of chief secretary, additional chief secretary (home) and director general of police.
Shah said Gujarat has made significant achievement by timely filing of charge sheets in over 92 per cent of cases involving sentences of more than 10 years.
He emphasised that for the remaining cases, a review should be conducted to ensure the utilisation of the provisions in the law that allows seeking permission from the court.
The home minister said Gujarat has done a commendable job in converting Zero FIRs into 100 per cent regular FIRs and emphasised the need to establish a system where FIRs can be transferred between two states through the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS). He also suggested that Gujarat should adopt CCTNS 2.0.
Shah said the essence of the three new criminal laws introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi lies in the provision of delivering justice within three years, from the filing of an FIR till the Supreme Court's verdict in any case.
Regarding the provision of electronic evidence in the new laws, Shah mentioned that the state's home and health departments should hold meetings to ensure that postmortem and other medical reports from hospitals are received electronically.
He also emphasised the need to establish a system for recording evidence via video conferencing in prisons, government hospitals, banks, forensic science laboratories (FSL), and other premises.
He said that there should be a video conferencing cubicle for every court in the prisons.
The home minister said the police should provide the details of people detained for questioning on the electronic dashboard, along with the seizure list and the cases to be forwarded to the courts.
He directed the state DGP for continuous monitoring of these cases and asked to increase the network connectivity speed in police stations to 30 mbps over the prescribed standards.
Shah said the state government should issue circulars to ensure that provisions of organised crime, terrorism, and mob lynching are not misused. For this, strict provisions should be made for permission from the highest level.
He highlighted that the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita includes a provision for trial in absentia, which allows legal action against absconding criminals.
He emphasised that trial in absentia should be initiated against fugitives who have been evading the country for a long time in cases related to national security.
The home minister said the Gujarat High Court has issued directives on January 22 for all subordinate courts to implement e-processes, which is a commendable initiative. He emphasised that other states should also make efforts in this direction.
