New Delhi, February 18: Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Amit Shah, chaired a review meeting on the implementation of three new criminal laws in Jammu and Kashmir, in the presence of Lieutenant Governor Shri Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, in New Delhi today. The meeting reviewed the implementation and present status of various new provisions related to police, prisons, courts, prosecution, and forensics in Jammu and Kashmir. The meeting was attended by the Union Home Secretary, Chief Secretary and Director General of Police of Jammu and Kashmir, the Director General of the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD), the Director General of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), and other senior officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the UT administration.
During the discussion in the meeting, Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation asked the UT administration to ensure full implementation of the three new criminal laws, made under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in Jammu and Kashmir by April 2025. He said that optimum use of technology should be made to ensure speedy justice under the three new criminal laws.
Union Home Minister said that for the full implementation of the new laws, it is imperative to change the attitude of the police personnel and the administration and create awareness about the new laws among the citizens. He stated that with decline in terror activities and improvement in security scenario in Jammu and Kashmir, the Police should now prioritize safeguarding the rights of its citizens. Shri Shah added that there is an urgent need to use the provision of Trial in Absentia in the union territory.
Union Home Minister stressed on the need to fix responsibility of police officers to expedite the process of filing chargesheets. He said that every police station in Jammu and Kashmir should put the maximum use of the National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS) into practice. He said that 100% training of investigating officers regarding the provisions of the new laws should be ensured, at the earliest. Shah said that decisions on provisions related to terrorism and organised crime should be taken only after thorough scrutiny at the level of Superintendent of Police. He added that strict monitoring is required to ensure that these provisions under the new laws are not misused.
Amit Shah said that the Jammu and Kashmir administration and government have done satisfactory work towards the implementation of the new criminal laws despite difficult circumstances. He said that the progress of implementation of the three new laws in Jammu and Kashmir should be reviewed on a monthly, fortnightly and weekly basis at the level of the Chief Minister, Chief Secretary and Director General of Police, respectively.
