From colonial to modern: India’s legal system enters a new era on Monday

New Delhi, June 30, 2024
India is now set to implement new penal laws to replace colonial codes. The three new penal laws – Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam – will be implemented across the country on Monday (July 1).

They are intended to replace the Indian Penal Code, the Criminal Procedure Code and the colonial-era Indian Evidence Act, respectively.

The new laws aim to modernize the justice system by introducing features such as Zero FIR, online registration of police complaints, electronic summons via SMS and mandatory filming of crime scenes for all serious crimes.

Following the notification of the three new criminal laws on December 25, 2023, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has initiated a series of preparations to ensure their effective implementation and to raise awareness among all stakeholders, including police, prisons, prosecutors, judicial staff, forensics and the general public society.

The initiatives undertaken by the Ministry of Interior and Administration to ensure effective and efficient implementation of the new regulations are presented below.

Twenty-three functional updates have been made to the existing CCTNS (Crime and Crime Tracking Network and Systems) application to align it with the technological requirements of the new Criminal Law, including the filing of FIRs.

Technical support has been provided to states and union territories (UTs) to facilitate a smooth transition to the new system.

Support teams and call centres have been set up to ensure continuous monitoring and assistance to States/UTs in implementing the new penal laws.

C-DAC (Center for the Development of Advanced Computing Technologies) is developing CCTNS 2.0, which will include secure cloud storage and features for crime scene videography and forensic evidence collection.

Significantly, the MHA has launched a mobile and online application called NCRB Criminal Law Compendium.

The application was made available on the websites of the NCRB, the Ministry of Interior, the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D), and the National Police Academy. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (SVPNPA), iGot and also on Google Play Store and iOS.

The e-Sakshaya application has been developed, which allows filming, photographing crime scenes and entering documents.

It was distributed to all police departments across states and Union territories after completion of comprehensive testing.

Nyayashruti app facilitates electronic court hearings and document entry, made available to all states/union territories and the Supreme Court e-Committee for judicial implementation. e-Summon app facilitates electronic service of court summons.

Additionally, the necessary updates were made to the CCTNS, e-Prison, e-Prosecution and e-Forensic applications in accordance with the new regulations.

The MHA has implemented comprehensive training initiatives to build the capacity of various stakeholders, including police, prisons, prosecutors, court officials, forensic experts and central police organisations.

Several training modules have been developed specifically for capacity building.

Over 250 training courses, webinars and seminars were conducted, resulting in the training of a large number of officers and staff.

Control rooms have been established, staffed by teams of law enforcement and police officers to manage inquiries and resolve issues raised by field staff as the new regulations are implemented.

Extensive advertising campaigns were carried out on social media.

Ministries published advisories, press releases and infographics on social media platforms to inform the public about the three new criminal provisions.

Dialogue workshops held in state capitals, focused on regional media to highlight the benefits of implementing the new laws. (Agency)