CS reviews progress on implementation of new Criminal Laws in JK

SRINAGAR : Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo, on thursday chaired a high level meeting of senior functionaries in Home, Police and Law Departments to assess preparations being made for implementation of three new criminal laws in J&K recently passed by the Parliament.
Principal Secretary, Home, Director General Prisons, ADGP, Headquarters, Director Prosecution, Secretary Law, Director FSL and other concerned officers attended the meeting while Jammu based officers participated virtually.
The Chief Secretary enquired about the capacity building and training of concerned staff, conducted so far. He emphasised the need for collaborative efforts of all stakeholders for effective implementation of these laws in the UT.
Dulloo asked about the status of dissemination of relevant informative material regarding the new laws among the police officers and different sections of the society including women and students for their awareness. He also asked about different logistic measures and technological upgradations to be made for better implementation of these laws on ground.
He took stock of the necessary amendments to be incorporated in Police Manual. He asked about the status of issuing different Statutory Orders (SOs) in this regard. He enquired about the changes to be made in rationalization or creation of posts, seeking of clarifications from the Law Department and integration of different portals with the rechristened apparatus of law enforcement agencies.
In its presentation, the Police Department threw light on different initiatives being taken for smooth implementation of these laws. It was revealed that capacity building and training of staff, deployment of additional manpower and upgradation of hardware and technological interventions are being planned as part of implementation strategy for these new laws.
It was informed that till date nearly 6984 police personnel have been trained in the training institutions in addition to orientation of 106 prosecutors. Besides, it was apprised that 72 officers are going to attend the batch-wise training program at CAPT, Bhopal along with 30 officers from the Judicial Academy.
The meeting further deliberated on the plan for establishment of district mobile forensic units as per provisions of the act. It also had discourse over the changes to be made in Prisons, Prosecution and other allied Departments. It was revealed that the committees and study groups have been constituted for having insights into these laws and framing a roadmap to implement these in the UT.
Pertinently, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam had been recently notified by the MHA for implementation from July, 2024. These would replace the Indian Penal Code, 1860, Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898 and the Indian Evidence Act, 1872, respectively.