NEW DELHI, Feb 18: Union Home Minister Amit Shah held a review meeting on Tuesday to assess the implementation of new criminal laws in Jammu and Kashmir. The meeting, which took place at the North Block in the national capital, was attended by Jammu and Kashmir (J-K) Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and J-K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.
The focus of the meeting was on the status of various provisions related to police, jails, courts, prosecution, and forensics under three new criminal laws: the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023; Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023; and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA), 2023. These laws have replaced the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), and the Indian Evidence Act, respectively.
In addition to Amit Shah, the meeting was attended by Union Home Secretary, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary, the state Director General of Police, the Director General of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), and senior officials from both the Union Home Ministry and the UT government.
Earlier in February, Amit Shah had also reviewed the implementation of these laws in Maharashtra during a meeting with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Shah urged the swift implementation of the new laws across all commissionerates in the state. Similar meetings have been held by the Home Minister with other states, including Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Haryana, to ensure the smooth rollout of the laws.
In previous discussions with states and Union Territories (UTs), Amit Shah emphasized that the primary objective of these new laws, introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is to ensure the delivery of justice within three years — from the filing of a First Information Report (FIR) to the verdict in the highest court.
