MUMBAI: Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis announced on Friday that the new criminal laws will be implemented in the state within the next six months. This announcement followed a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who convened the review meeting in the North to discuss the implementation process of the new provisions.
The meeting also assessed the current status of various new regulations related to police, prisons, courts, prosecution, and forensics in the state.
The new criminal laws—Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023; Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023; and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023—aim to replace outdated colonial-era laws and modernize India’s judicial system.
Fadnavis stated that 27 vans have been deployed to enhance forensic infrastructure for cases older than seven years. He mentioned that Maharashtra has established online systems for courts; however, the new provisions require the creation of dedicated cubicles in courts and forensic labs. “Ninety percent of Maharashtra’s police force, which consists of 2,00,000 personnel, has already been trained to implement the new laws,” he said.
“Shah called a review meeting regarding these three criminal laws. We informed him that 27 vans have been deployed to enhance forensic infrastructure for cases older than seven years. While online systems have been installed for courts, the new law mandates that designated cubicles must be set up in courts and forensic labs. This will be completed within six months,” he added.
Shah urged the government to integrate state’s fingerprint identification system with the National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS).