UNION Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said the BJP-led Government at the Centre has successfully brought down violence in Jammu and Kashmir, North-East and Naxal-hit areas by 70 per cent in the last 10 years. Speaking at the inaugural event of the 50th All India Police Science Conference (AIPSC) at the Rashtriya Raksha University here, he expressed confidence that the coming decade will make the Indian criminal justice system the most scientific and fastest in the world. “For years, three regions were considered very disturbed - Kashmir, North East, and Naxalite-affected areas. We have made significant improvements in the security of all these three regions. Comparing the data of the last 10 years with the period before that shows that we have been successful in reducing violence by 70 per cent,” Shah said. “I believe this is a very big achievement. A large number of people have wholeheartedly supported the Government’s efforts to reduce this (violence),” he said. Even in terms of controlling the narcotics trade, the seizure of drugs has increased six times in the last 10 years as compared to what it was a decade ago, the Union Minister said. Shah said that following the implementation of three new criminal laws this year, justice will be delivered to people from the Supreme Court level within three years from the date of registration of a first information report (FIR).

 

“The coming 10 years is the time to make India’s criminal justice system the most modern, most scientific and fastest. Ever since I was born, I have heard taunts that one gets delayed justice from the court. I want to assure you that after the implementation of the three new criminal laws, one will get justice from the Supreme Court within three years of the FIR registration at any police station in the country,” he said. The three new criminal laws -- Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA) -- came into force from July 1 this year, replacing the British-era Indian Penal Code (IPC), Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and the Indian Evidence Act, respectively. India became the 5th largest economy from the 11th a decade ago, Shah said, adding that he was confident of India becoming the third largest economy before April 1, 2028. According to him, in the last 10 years, India progressed to lead the world in every area, whether in terms of economy, technology, security, education, research and development, or infrastructure and trade, and the progress has only increased the country’s challenges.

 

“When you progress in a system, you replace someone, which creates resistance. You have to progress after analysing the resistance,” he said. He said that India conducted its elections smoothly and handled the COVID-19 pandemic well to the surprise of the world. “When the world recognises our strengths, our challenges grow. And we will have to prepare ourselves by keeping these challenges in mind,” he said. He said his Government has made drastic changes in terms of internal security and criminal justice system, and the changes demand hard work, better coordination and inclusivity. India has laid a strong foundation through economic and social reforms. The Home Ministry made extensive preparations before implementing the three new criminal laws and ensuring they reach their logical end and help India’s criminal justice system, Shah said. He said 70,000 police stations were connected to CCTNS (Crime and Criminal Tracking Network & Systems), 22,000 courts through eCourts, data of 2 crore prisoners is stored in e-Prisons system and that of over 1.5 crore prosecution in e-Prosecution system, more than 23 lakh forensic data in e-Forensic, among other things.

 

“When we implemented three new criminal laws, we made arrangements to connect court, prosecution, police, jail and FSL. In a way, from crime to justice, and to the jail -- we worked to connect all the links, and thereafter the Narendra Modi government worked to bring three new criminal laws,” Shah said. He said his Government ensured that the safety of our citizens remains at the centre of the new criminal laws and that they are able to avail the rights guaranteed to them under the Constitution. “All the systems of technology have been included in the new laws, and it has also been ensured that however much the technology changes, one will not need to make changes to the law,” he said. “We have made arrangements for speedy justice by making court, prosecution and police obliged to complete the work within the time limit in 60 different provisions...It is our effort to ensure that not a single prisoner remains without getting justice even after completing one third of his sentence,” he said. He said the AIPSC should work towards analysing the available data to bring about changes in the system to reduce crime, its investigation and speedy justice.