Union Home Minister Amit Shah reviewed the implementation of three New Criminal Laws in Puducherry today. The discussion focused on the progress and current status of key provisions concerning police, prisons, courts, prosecution, and forensic services. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Shah commended the Union Territory on the implementation of the new criminal laws and emphasised on ensuring their earliest implementation. He also called for registration of FIR in Tamil language only and ensuring its availability in other languages ​​to whoever requires it. Mr Shah added that fingerprints of all arrested criminals should be recorded under the National Automated Fingerprint Identification System so that the database can be used optimally. He said that only the Director of Prosecution should have the right to give legal advice in any case. The Home Minister also called for the implementation of provisions like e-summons, e-Sakshya, Nyaya Shruti and forensics at the earliest.
Further, Mr Shah said that the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police of Puducherry should review the progress of implementation of the new criminal laws once a week, with the Home Minister reviewing it every 15 days and the Lieutenant Governor once in a month.
The three new Criminal Laws are Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023, which came into force in July last year.
The meeting was attended by Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry K. Kailashnathan alongside other officials such as the Union Home Secretary, Home Minister of Puducherry, Director of the National Crime Record Bureau, Director General of the Bureau of Police Research and Development, among other senior officials of the Home Ministry.