New Delhi [India], February 18: Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired a review meeting on the implementation of newly introduced criminal laws in Jammu and Kashmir. The meeting, held at the North Block in the national capital, was attended by Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, and several senior officials.
The discussion focused on the status of various new provisions related to police, jails, courts, prosecution, and forensics, which are outlined in the three new criminal laws: the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023; Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023; and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA), 2023. These laws have replaced the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), and the Indian Evidence Act, respectively.
The meeting also included the Union Home Secretary, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary, Director General of Police of Jammu and Kashmir, Director General of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), and other senior officials from both the Union Home Ministry and the UT government.
In February, Home Minister Amit Shah had similarly reviewed the implementation of these laws in Maharashtra, where he urged the state government to adopt them across all commissionerates promptly. Shah has also met with various states in recent months to ensure smooth implementation of these laws, including Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Haryana.
During a previous meeting with states and UTs, Shah emphasized that the key goal of the three new criminal laws is to ensure the delivery of justice within three years, from the filing of the First Information Report (FIR) to a verdict from the highest court.