New 3 criminal-justice laws to be notified before January 26

New Delh: The three new criminal-justice laws -- the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA) -- will be notified by January 26 and implemented across the country within a year, a senior government functionary said on Tuesday.

The three laws were passed in the recently concluded winter session and President Droupadi Murmu gave her assent on December 25. The new laws will replace the Indian Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure and the Indian Evidence Act respectively.

The government is also in the process of procuring 900 forensic vans to be stationed in all 850 police districts in the country so that forensic evidence could be collected quickly after any crime and videograph could be done on the crime scene.

After the three laws are notified, the home ministry will start a training programme for police officers, investigators and those linked to forensic fields "The three laws will be notified before January 26," the functionary said, adding that once it is notified criminal cases can be registered under the new laws.

The first judgement under the new laws is expected to be delivered in three years from the day it is notified.

The training will ensure the smooth implementation of these laws and fair, time-bound and evidence-based investigation and speedy trial, he said.

About 3,000 officers from various fields will be recruited for giving training to police officers, investigators and those in forensic departments.

The training programme will cover almost 90 per cent of those needed to be trained within next nine months to one year.

For the training of judicial officers, the functionary said, the home ministry has already conducted consultations, and it will be done at an academy in Bhopal.

Besides, a trial run will be carried out in Chandigarh to ensure a foolproof online mechanism as most of the records would be electronic or digital.

As per the new laws, generation and supply of records will be in electronic form like zero-FIR, e-FIR, chargesheet and victims will be provided information in digital form.

A major provision has been added in the new laws for the Directorate of Prosecution and it defines the eligibility, functions and powers of various authorities under it.

The duties and responsibilities of different levels of prosecuting officers were laid down to ensure desired coordination. The provision of supervision by the prosecutor has been introduced during the investigation phase.

Sources said a post of prosecution officer in every district will be created and the criteria for appointment of director of prosecution and assistant director of prosecution at the state level have been revised in the laws.

Sources said the states may, depending on their capacity and resources, indicate own timeline for full implementation of these procedures, the complete manual of which will be shared with them by Centre.

The Inter-Operable Criminal Justice System (ICJS), being implemented by the government, will be a great help in implementing the three new laws.

The ICJS is a national platform for enabling integration of the main IT system used for delivery of criminal justice in the country by five pillars namely:- Police (Crime and Criminal Tracking and Network Systems), e-Forensics for Forensic Labs, e-Courts for Courts, e-Prosecution for Public Prosecutors and e-Prisons for Prisons.

The ICJS was approved by the Modi government for implementation during 2022-23 to 2025-26 at a total cost of Rs 3,375 crore.

The ICJS system is made available through a dedicated and secure cloud-based infrastructure with high speed connectivity. The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) is responsible for the implementation of the project in association with National Informatics Center (NIC).

The project is implemented in collaboration with the States and Union Territories.