New Delhi, Feb 14: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday directed Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to implement the three new criminal laws across all commissionerates in the state as soon as possible.
Shah's directive came during a review meeting on the implementation of the three new criminal laws in Maharashtra, attended by CM Fadnavis, officials from the Maharashtra government, and the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The meeting reviewed the implementation and present status of various new provisions related to police, prisons, courts, prosecution, and forensics in the state. The meeting was attended by the Union Home Secretary, the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police of Maharashtra, 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 Union Home Ministry and the state government.
The Union Home Minister said that Modi government is committed to provide a speedy and transparent justice system to the countrymen. He said that to strengthen law and order, it is essential for crimes to be registered, so there should not be any delay in filing FIRs.
Shah said that Maharashtra should establish a model Directorate of Prosecution system in line with the new criminal laws. He emphasized that efforts should be made to achieve over 90 per cent conviction rate in cases with sentences of more than 7 years, and that the police, government lawyers, and judiciary should work together to ensure that the guilty are punished as swiftly as possible.
Home Minister reiterated that senior police officers should regularly monitor cases of organized crime, terrorism, and mob lynching to prevent the misuse of the sections related to these crimes. He noted that there should be a system for recording evidence through video conferencing in facilities such as prisons, government hospitals, banks, Forensic Science Laboratories (FSL), etc. Shri Shah also said that a system should be implemented where FIRs can be transferred between two states through the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS). He recommended that Maharashtra should adopt CCTNS 2.0 and ICJS 2.0.
