Union Home Minister Chairs Review Meeting on New Criminal Laws in Jammu and Kashmir

New Delhi: Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Amit Shah, chaired a high-level review meeting today on the implementation of three new criminal laws in Jammu and Kashmir. The meeting was attended by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, and senior officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Union Territory (UT) administration. The discussions centered around the current status and effective implementation of provisions related to police, prisons, courts, prosecution, and forensics in the region.

The meeting was attended by key officials, including the Union Home Secretary, Chief Secretary, and Director General of Police of Jammu and Kashmir, as well as the Director General of the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD) and Director General of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). The main objective of the review was to assess the progress of the implementation of the three new criminal laws, introduced under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.

Amit Shah urged the Jammu and Kashmir administration to ensure the full implementation of the three new criminal laws by April 2025. He emphasized the importance of technology in ensuring speedy justice under the new provisions. The Minister further underscored the need for a shift in attitude among police personnel and administrative staff and called for increased awareness about the new laws among citizens.

With the decline in terrorist activities and improvements in security in Jammu and Kashmir, Shah emphasized that the police should now focus on safeguarding the rights of citizens. He also called for the use of Trial in Absentia provisions, particularly in cases related to organized crime.

The Home Minister stressed the importance of accountability in the police force to expedite the filing of chargesheets. He also highlighted the need for optimal use of the National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS) in every police station in Jammu and Kashmir. He directed that 100% training of investigating officers on the new laws be completed at the earliest.

Additionally, Shah noted that decisions regarding provisions related to terrorism and organized crime should only be made after a thorough review by the Superintendent of Police to prevent any misuse of these provisions.

Praising the efforts of the Jammu and Kashmir administration, Amit Shah acknowledged the satisfactory progress made in implementing the new criminal laws, despite the region’s challenging circumstances. He called for regular monitoring of the implementation process, suggesting reviews on a monthly basis at the Chief Minister’s level, fortnightly at the Chief Secretary’s level, and weekly at the Director General of Police’s level.