Shah asks Maharashtra govt to implement new criminal laws in police commissionerates

New Delhi, Feb 14 (PTI) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday asked the Maharashtra government to implement the three new criminal laws in all police commissionerates of the state as soon as possible.

Chairing a review meeting here on their implementation in presence of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Shah also said the Maharashtra government should set up a model directorate of prosecution in accordance with these criminal laws.

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 from July 1 last year.

“Maharashtra government should implement the new criminal laws in all the commissionerates of the state as soon as possible,” Shah said.

The meeting reviewed the implementation and present status of various new provisions related to police, prisons, courts, prosecution and forensics in the state.

Shah said the chief minister should conduct a bi-weekly review of the implementation of the new criminal laws in the state, while the chief secretary and director general of police should carry out a weekly review.

He said the Narendra Modi government is committed to providing a speedy and transparent justice system to the countrymen and to strengthen the law and order, it is essential for crimes to be registered, so there should not be any delay in filing FIRs.

He emphasised that efforts should be made to achieve over 90 per cent conviction rate in cases with sentences of more than seven years, and that the police, government lawyers, and judiciary should work together to ensure that the guilty are punished as swiftly as possible.

Shah said senior police officers should regularly monitor cases of organised crime, terrorism, and mob lynching to prevent the misuse of the sections related to these crimes.

He noted that there should be a system for recording evidence through video conferencing in facilities such as prisons, government hospitals, banks, Forensic Science Laboratories (FSL), etc.

The home minister said a system should be implemented where FIRs can be transferred between two states through the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) and recommended that Maharashtra should adopt CCTNS 2.0 and Inter-operable Criminal Justice System 2.0 (ICJS).

Shah said the police should provide information about individuals held in custody for interrogation on an electronic dashboard.

He emphasised on need to improve internet connectivity in police stations and said that the availability of forensic science mobile vans should be ensured in every police sub-division.

The home minister sought recruitment of forensic experts and urged for prompt filling of vacant positions in the forensic department.

He said the Maharashtra government should integrate state’s fingerprint identification system with the National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS).

Shah also mentioned that the police should establish a system to return the property recovered from criminals to its rightful owner as per the provisions of the new criminal laws.

He emphasised the importance of making police stations more aesthetically pleasing.

The meeting was attended by top officials of the central and state governments.