Chandigarh, seven other UTs to be first to implement three criminal laws, says Amit Shah

The three Bills —The Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita, 2023 Bill; Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita, 2023; and Bharatiya Sakshya (Second) Bill (BSB) 2023 — were passed in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

Targeting the Opposition, Shah said, “It was my personal wish that suggestions of the Opposition should also be included in the Bills. But the Opposition stayed away from the debate.”

Without mentioning Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, the Home Minister said, “A senior Congress leader was making videos of the mimicry of the honorable Vice-President outside Parliament when the debate on three Bills was going on inside. The Opposition demeaned the constitutional posts. People of this country will never forget it. Governments come and go but we should maintain the dignity of the constitutional posts.”

Addressing the gathering, Shah, who arrived in Chandigarh  from Kurushetra after attending Gita Mahotsav, lauded the efforts of Chandigarh Police to implement the E-beat system and said that other states’ police forces are also working on the same pattern.

“Infrastructure of all kinds is being developed in the country at the international level. We have already upgraded the CCTNS (Crime and Criminal Tracking and Network System) and ICJS (Inter-Operable Criminal Justice System) to achieve the task of implementing three new laws in the country,” he said.

Shah chairs meet with Chandigarh Police on 3 laws — first with any UT

A day after passing three amended Bills, Union Home Minister Amit Shah Friday chaired the first high-level meeting with any of the state/UT police forces pertaining to these laws in Chandigarh.

“Crafted with a deep respect for Indian values and justice traditions, these laws signify a departure from our colonial legacy. The laws usher in transformative reforms, aiming to ensure swift justice for victims, digital transformation of legal processes, transparency in investigations, time-bound outcomes, and rigorous forensic examinations of crime scenes,” he said, underscoring the underlying principles behind the formulation of these three laws. The meeting was held in the Conference Room of CenCOPS in Sector 18.

In his close door meeting with all IPS rank officers, including DGP Praveer Ranjan and SSP Kanwaljeet Kaur, the Home Minister highlighted the imperative for synchronised reforms across all facets of the criminal justice system, with a particular emphasis on courts and prisons. He urged for proactive measures to expedite the adoption of these laws across states and Union Territories, commending the preliminary groundwork undertaken by NCRB and BPRD.
He stressed the delineation of a forward-looking strategy for the seamless implementation of these laws, emphasising enhancements in technology, infrastructure, structural reforms and comprehensive training. He called upon all officials to collaborate and drive the timely and efficient implementation of these transformative pieces of legislation.

Administrator Banwarilal Purohit, Home Secretary Nitin Yadav and officers from the Central agencies were present in the meeting.