The Union Home Minister said this during the discussion in the review meeting on the implementation of three new criminal laws in Jammu and Kashmir on. The review meeting chaired by Shri Shah was attended by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, in New Delhi yesterday. Union Home Secretary, Chief Secretary and Director General of Police of Jammu & Kashmir, the Director General of the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD), the Director General of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), and other senior officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the UT administration were present in the meeting .
Three new laws introduced in India are Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023, and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2023. They are effective from July 1, 2024.
The meeting reviewed the implementation and present status of various new provisions related to police, prisons, courts, prosecution, and forensics in Jammu and Kashmir. Although Shri Shah expressed his satisfaction on the work towards the implementation of the new criminal laws despite difficult circumstances but also said that the progress of implementation of these new laws should be reviewed on a monthly, fortnightly and weekly basis at the level of the Chief Minister, Chief Secretary and Director General of Police, respectively.
He said that for the full implementation of the new laws, it is imperative to change the attitude of the police personnel and the administration and create awareness about the new laws among the citizens. He stated that with decline in terror activities and improvement in security scenario in Jammu and Kashmir, the Police should now prioritize safeguarding the rights of its citizens. Shri Shah added that there is an urgent need to use the provision of Trial in Absentia in the union territory.
Amit Shah stressed on the need to fix responsibility of police officers to expedite the process of filing chargesheets. He said that every police station in Jammu and Kashmir should put the maximum use of the National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS) into practice. Shri Shah said that decisions on provisions related to terrorism and organised crime should be taken only after thorough scrutiny at the level of Superintendent of Police. He added that strict monitoring is required to ensure that these provisions under the new laws are not misused.
