Three criminal laws will transform justice delivery: HM
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday praised the Delhi government for “best and fast” implementation of the three criminal laws, which completed one year of their coming into effect across the country on July 1.
Addressing an event in the national capital, marking one year of the rolling out of the three criminal laws — Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA) —- Shah said these laws are going to transform the criminal justice system in the country significantly.
“The Delhi government should be thanked for best and fast implementation of these criminal laws. For this, I would like to appreciate Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena,” Shah said during the event.
Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena and Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan and the Director of Intelligence Bureau Tapan Deka, were present on the occasion.
Shah informed that in the last one year, about 14.8 lakh policemen, 42,000 employees posted at jails, more than 19,000 judicial officers and more than 11,000 public prosecutors have been trained on the provisions of these laws.
He said the Centre has held continuous review meetings on the three criminal laws in the last one year and 23 states and union territories have completed 100 per cent capacity building.
In January 2024, a 14-member committee was constituted to study the three criminal laws and prepare the study material for Delhi Police personnel. The committee was led by Special Commissioner of Police Chhaya Sharma and comprised DCP Joy Tirkey, Additional DCP Uma Shankar and other officers.
In the first six months of 2024, Delhi Police personnel, carrying a small 5”X3” pocket-friendly book in their hands, be it while policing or having their meals, had become a common sight as the new criminal laws were slated to be rolled out from July 1, 2024.
The small book was the training module where sections of BNS were listed on the right side and their corresponding IPC sections were listed on the left. The policemen were at all times, before the implementation of the three new criminal laws, seen memorising them.
The laws were finally rolled out on July 1, 2024 and despite initial hiccups, the Delhi Police efficiently started registering the cases under the new law.
In the past year, while timelines for investigation and trial have been introduced — 60 days to frame charges, 14 days to supply documents, 90 days for case updates — there are few enforcement mechanisms.
“Meeting deadlines always remains a challenge. These reforms sound great on paper, but we lack manpower to meet them,” a police officer said on the condition of anonymity.
The new laws have also rightly emphasised forensic evidence, mandating crime scene videography and expert visits for serious offences. However, the sudden surge in demand has left forensic labs overwhelmed.
“Compared to old times, the cases we have forensically examined shot up exponentially. Still, throughout the year, we managed to keep everything under control,” a source in the Crime Scene Management at Delhi’s Forensic Science Laboratory said.
Delhi