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A year later — colonial-era laws to new criminal codes
A year later — colonial-era laws to new criminal codes

The Hindu

time3 days ago

  • The Hindu

A year later — colonial-era laws to new criminal codes

It will be a year since the three criminal laws which replaced the British-era enacted laws came into effect. Last year, the central government replaced the Indian Penal Code with the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) with the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 with the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA). Policemen are gradually getting used to the new provisions. As most first information reports (FIRs) are registered through the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS), which is one of the pillars of the Inter-operable Criminal Justice System (ICJS), a smooth transition from the previous provisions of the laws to the new ones has been essential for the implementation of the new laws at the police station level. FIRs registered at zero are being routed to the police station of their jurisdiction through the CCTNS, albeit only within a State. The credit for this milestone goes to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). A significant development in policing has been the implementation of the 'e-Sakshya', which is a mobile application to collect and preserve evidence in real time. This app has been developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) in consultation with the MHA. The NIC is also the nodal agency for the implementation of the ICJS, which connects police (through the CCTNS) with the other pillars, namely, forensic science laboratories (FSLs), prosecution, jails and courts. While the transition to the new provisions of law is a mechanical exercise, it is the 'e-Sakshya' which is making a big difference on the ground. Feedback from the investigating officers (IOs) who are at the helm in implementing the new laws is important. Mandatory recording of pictures and videos The BNSS makes it mandatory for the IO to record certain processes using audio-video electronic means. Under some provisions, the use of such electronic means is optional. The 'e-Sakshya' app caters to six provisions of the law which include the recording of search and seizure through audio-video electronic means (a new provision under Section 105 of the BNSS), search by a police officer (under Section 185 of the BNSS), videography of the scene of crime (under Section 176 of the BNSS), recording of a statement (under Section 173 of the BNSS), recording of a statement (under Section 180 of the BNSS) and order of custody and disposal of property pending trial in some cases (under Section 497 of the BNSS). Though the trial of the most heinous offences registered under the BNS is yet to be completed in order to review the overall impact of 'e-Sakshya' on conviction, IOs are glad to be able to use it to capture pictures and videos on the spot, with geo-coordinates and a time stamp. For the public, this has enhanced visibility of the entire process of search and seizure. IOs are hopeful that witnesses (captured in photos and videos) cannot deny their presence at the scene of crime. Further, IOs cannot even (unofficially) depute their subordinates to carry out an investigation in their name. The provision of capturing a 'selfie' by the IO has been a deterrent and is likely to improve the overall quality of an investigation. Similarly, the mandatory visit of an FSL expert to the scene of crime (Section 176 of the BNSS) is proving beneficial to the police. While the forensic infrastructure has not changed much in the last year, the IO now ensures that the scene of crime is mandatorily inspected by an FSL expert. There is also the use of a police dog at the scene of crime, which is useful in tracking suspects. The move to have a Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) and National Forensic Science University (NFSU) in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, which was announced by the Union Home Minister, Amit Shah, is a step that will help strengthen the forensic infrastructure. The impediments However, more still needs to be done. While pictures and videos captured using 'e-Sakshya' are stored in the National Government Cloud (NGC) through 'Sakshya lockers', courts are yet to start directly accessing such pictures and videos through the ICJS. Many IOs make a copy through the CCTNS (which is linked to the NGC) and submit a pen drive or a similar electronic device in court, along with the final report of the case. While the integrity of evidence is not questionable in this process, the duplication of work and unnecessary expenditure incurred in the procurement of pen-drives needs to be checked. Moreover, IOs use their personal mobile phones to capture pictures and videos. Those who did have an android phone have had to buy a new mobile because the 'e-Sakshya' can only be downloaded in mobile phones with Android version 10 and a minimum storage space of 1 GB. Some police stations have been given one tablet only, which is clearly not sufficient as each police station has more than one IO. While each video could be of a duration of four minutes (maximum), there is no limit on the number of videos that can be taken. In case of a linked FIR, there is no provision to delete a picture or video that has not been recorded well. However, if an FIR is not linked, any picture or video can be deleted and recaptured. However, a maximum of five Sakshya IDs (SIDs) could be generated in the off-line (FIR not linked) mode. In such cases, the pictures and the videos need to be uploaded whenever the IO reaches a network area in order to make space to capture additional pictures and videos with a fresh SID. There are examples of accused persons being reluctant to be captured electronically when pointing out the spot where murder weapons have been hidden or when producing prohibited drugs. However, 'e-Sakshya' could prove to be a game-changing tool in improving investigations and ensuring convictions. Though 'e-Sakshya' has a provision to automatically generate a hash value (using SHA256 function) and mandatory certificate (to authenticate the secondary electronic evidence), cyber-crimes which involve the seizure of electronic evidence need an expert who could offer a definite opinion and depose in a court of law. Therefore, State labs (including the one in Chhattisgarh) which are yet to be notified under the IT Act, need to get their cyber forensic laboratories soon. While small thefts (of a value less than ₹5000) are not being registered as a cognisable offence under the ambiguous proviso to sub-section (1) of Section 303 of the BNS, petty organised offences under Section 112 of the BNS are registered (for some offences such as gambling) despite the definition being open ended and vague. The new Section 530 of the BNSS provides for the recording of evidence and examination of witnesses (including an IO) through video conferencing, but such a practice has not yet become the norm. Similarly, while IOs seem satisfied with the implementation of the seven-day limit under Section 184 of the BNSS for forwarding the medical examination report of a rape survivor by a medical practitioner to the police, their major grievance of getting the post mortem report in time has not be resolved. The MedLEaPR (Medico Legal Examination and Post Mortem Reports System), which is a web-based application developed by the NIC Haryana is under testing in Chhattisgarh. This will enable the health department to create and forward medical examination reports and post-mortem reports more quickly to the police through CCTNS. Need for feedback Since all States and Union Territories are implementing the new laws, there is a need for feedback to review ease of implementation and carry out changes to minimise the practical problems that IOs face and also overcome the legal obstacles in courts. In addition, more resources need to be allocated for forensics and information and communication technologies. This will ensure that IOs do not have to use their personal gadgets for official processes and that each district has a separate mobile FSL unit. R.K. Vij is a former Indian Police Service (IPS) officer

Andhra Pradesh will become torchbearer for AI-led law enforcement: DGP Harish Kumar Gupta
Andhra Pradesh will become torchbearer for AI-led law enforcement: DGP Harish Kumar Gupta

Time of India

time3 days ago

  • Time of India

Andhra Pradesh will become torchbearer for AI-led law enforcement: DGP Harish Kumar Gupta

Vijayawada: The national-level 'AI Hackathon' organised by the Andhra Pradesh Police department at RVR & JC College of Engineering in Guntur concluded on Sunday. Speaking at the event's conclusion ceremony, director general of police (DGP) Harish Kumar Gupta said that Andhra Pradesh Police made history with eCOPS, laying the foundation for the national CCTNS standard. He also highlighted that FINS (Fingerprint Identification System) scaled up to NAFIS (National Automated Fingerprint Identification System) at the national level. He mentioned that the AP Police stand at the threshold of a new dawn—the AI-Powered Police Operating System. To seize this moment, he said, our next steps must be appealed to police personnel to secure dedicated GPU clusters through India AI to power large-scale model training and real-time inference, and to assemble comprehensive master data sets that capture every operational nuance—this being the backbone of trustworthy AI. He also stressed the need to establish rigorous best practices and legal-grade guidelines for LLM usage—ensuring data integrity, chain-of-custody, and evidentiary security. To scale intelligence, he urged deploying open 70B-parameter models, fine-tuned on police data and governance protocols, to drive domain-specific insights. He proposed creating a sandbox: launching a secure application and access layer where these models can be tested, hardened, and deployed swiftly. By doing so, we will turbo-charge our use-case rollout—targeting four "low-hanging" solutions by year-end—and cement Andhra Pradesh as the first state police force with production-ready AI tools, becoming a true torchbearer for AI-led law enforcement in India and beyond, the DGP added.

AI will enable police to render quick services and check crime, says A.P. DGP
AI will enable police to render quick services and check crime, says A.P. DGP

The Hindu

time3 days ago

  • Science
  • The Hindu

AI will enable police to render quick services and check crime, says A.P. DGP

Andhra Pradesh police will be the torchbearer in artificial intelligence (AI)-led law enforcement and first in producing AI tools in the country, said Director General of Police (DGP) Harish Kumar Gupta. Speaking at the valedictory programme of three-day hackathon 'AI4AndhraPolice' at Guntur on Sunday, the DGP said that by using AI police will be able to render quick services and check crime as directed by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. 4SightAI Chief Executive Officer Surya Kotha, who partnered with A.P. police, in organising the hackathon said that there will be more opportunities for budding engineers in AI sector in the future. Many IPS officers, AI experts, startup companies, researchers and students discussed topics on tracking criminals, monitoring data, preventing cybercrimes, online frauds and detecting cases using AI. Projects on Petition Management System, mentored by Vizianagaram district Superintendent of Police (SP) Vakul Jindal, Crime and Criminal Tracking Network System (CCTNS) CoPilot Engine, mentored by Bapatla SP Tushar Dudi, and Investigation of IT Cases, mentored by APSP DIG Fakeerappa Kaginelli, won first, second and third prizes respectively in the hackathon. Prakasam district SP A.R. Damodar said the AI hackathon will help the investigation officers to check crimes. Eluru district SP K. Pratap Shiva Kishore said petition monitoring and solving of cases will become easier through AI. Students of various education institutions, who attended the programme, thanked the police for conducting the programme.

MEA awards Telangana Intelligence DG
MEA awards Telangana Intelligence DG

Hans India

time25-06-2025

  • Politics
  • Hans India

MEA awards Telangana Intelligence DG

Hyderabad: State Director General (Intelligence) B Shivadhar Reddy has received the Certificate of Recognition representing Telangana police in New Delhi on Tuesday. Pabitra Margherita, Minister of State for External Affairs presented the award to the police official at a programme. The Telangana Police has been adjudged as one of the best performing Police and a well-deserved recipient of 'Certificate of Recognition' based on the Passport applications verification data for the financial year 2024-2025 in India by Ministry of External Affairs during the Passport Sewa Diwas and Passport officers conference at New Delhi. The Telangana Police received 8,06,684 passport applications for financial year 2024-25 and successfully completed their verification within the stipulated time of below 15 days. It's pertinent to mention that average time for passport verification in Telangana is below 7 days against the stipulated time of 15 days. Telangana Police has developed customized software named 'Satyaapan' and 'VeriFast' which automates the process of passport verification by using the face recognition and data matching technology to identify the passport applicant's criminal background, old passport applicants and duplicate passport seekers by matching the data from CCTNS, Passport application records and other databases. Telangana Police has been adjudged as one of the best performing states for six times since 2014 in expeditiously completing passport verification. This recognition by the Ministry of External Affairs is a testament to the department's commitment to excellence in public service. Telangana State has developed its own verification system to ensure that passport services will be provided to the public 1) Fool-proof verification, 2) Timely disposal of the applications and 3) Without any corruption. Dr Jitender, DGP, Telangana appreciated all the unit officers in general and special branch officers and staff of every unit in particular for this achievement for clearing passport applications verification expeditiously and bringing accolades to Telangana Police.

Kanpur police to use Google maps to monitor offenders
Kanpur police to use Google maps to monitor offenders

Time of India

time19-06-2025

  • Time of India

Kanpur police to use Google maps to monitor offenders

Kanpur: The Kanpur Commissionerate Police are initiating a surveillance system using Google Maps to monitor criminal activities. The system requires synchronisation of mobile numbers of repeat offenders. Due to the absence of legal frameworks, the authorities will seek voluntary participation from offenders through a consent form. The tracking will be facilitated through Google Maps once the numbers are registered. Police Commissioner Akhil Kumar introduced the initiative as 'Divya-Drishti', set to commence as a pilot project in Kanpur. "It will be launched within the next ten days. If successful and yielding good results, it will be fully implemented in the Commissionerate," said the CP. The programme primarily targets habitual offenders on parole or those who returned to mainstream society. The authorities will implement a straightforward process of obtaining consent and registration details, as there are no legal provisions for phone monitoring. Offenders will be required to enable location sharing with the police through Google. The authorities anticipate cooperation, particularly from reformed individuals. Police stations and personnel are receiving necessary training for this operation. According to the CP, offender locations will be displayed on police station monitors. "The operation will be staffed with an inspector, a Crime and Criminal Tracking Network & Systems (CCTNS) operator, and a constable. The stations will receive computing equipment, and a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) will be linked to Gmail account of the station in-charge. The system includes provisions for video communications with offenders when required," said the CP further. This system eliminates the need for physical verification visits, said the official further, adding, "Each station will initially register approximately 50 offenders, focusing on urban areas exclusively for now." The CP indicated future plans to implement wearable tracking devices, similar to international practices. "The authorities are assessing device costs and considering CSR funding options if expenses are substantial," he said.

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