“Government committed to making rollout of new criminal laws seamless”: Union Home Minister Amit Shah

NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said that the central government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is committed to making the rollout of the new criminal laws seamless.

Shah, who launched the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) website and mobile app “Sankalan” on Thursday said that the new app will enable a smooth implementation of the new justice system by bridging the new and old criminal laws.

“The Modi government is committed to making the rolling out of the new criminal justice system seamless. Launched the NCRB website and mobile app “Sankalan”. The new app will enable a smooth implementation of the new justice system by bridging the new and old criminal laws. It will also guide the citizens and law enforcement agencies of the country,” Shah wrote on X.

The three new laws — the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam — will overhaul the country’s criminal justice system. The laws will come into effect on July 1.

The laws will replace the colonial-era Indian Penal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure, and the Indian Evidence Act of 1872, respectively.

The Sankalan app has been designed to navigate through new criminal laws as a bridge between old and new criminal laws. This app will work as a comprehensive guide for all stakeholders. The app will work in offline mode as well and its availability has been ensured in far-flung areas so that all stakeholders can have access to desired information around the clock.

The Sankalan app will be available for download on Google Play Store, and Apple Store and its desktop version may be downloaded from the official websites of MHA and NCRB.

While inaugurating the state-of-the-art Criminal Case Management System (CCMS) software of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) via videoconferencing, Shah said that with the new technology of aggregating and analysing data with lightning speed, the NIA will now conduct investigations with enhanced swiftness and accuracy.

The state-of-the-art CCMS software would not only bring standardisation into investigations but also enable easy and streamlined compilation of terror-related data across the country.

The launch of the software comes at a time when India is facing increasing threats from various terrorist organisations, new challenges in the form of extensive use of cyber-space, dark web, drones, crowd-funding, use of crypto-currencies, encrypted communication platforms, besides the use of new technologies for terrorist financing, movement of arms and other terror support activities.

NIA, which has been aggressively tackling such threats, has undergone major empowerment and expansion over the years to enhance its capacities and competencies.

The Home Minister said that CCMS would further foster stronger cooperation between the central and state agencies, including the Anti-Terror Squads of the State Police.

Amit Shah pointed out that the newly developed system will also boost supervision by providing clear frameworks for assessment and guidance by both the senior police officers and the prosecutors.

It will assist NIA and the State Police forces’ preparedness to implement the newly legislated post-colonial era Criminal laws in the form of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakhsya Sanhita,” he added.