Union Home Minister Amit Shah along with Jammu and Kashmir L-G Manoj Sinha and State Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and other dignitaries reviews the implementation of three criminal laws in Jammu and Kashmir, in New Delhi on February 18, 2025.
| Photo Credit: ANI
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Tuesday (February 18, 2025) that the three new criminal laws should be implemented in Jammu and Kashmir by April. With the decline in terror activities and an improved security scenario, Mr. Shah said that the police should now prioritise safeguarding the rights of citizens in the Union Territory.
Mr. Shah reiterated that decisions on provisions related to terrorism and organised crime should be taken only after thorough scrutiny at the level of a Superintendent of Police. He added that strict monitoring is required to ensure that these provisions under the new laws are not misused.
The Home Minister chaired a review meeting on the implementation of the three new criminal laws and the present status of various new provisions related to the police, prisons, courts, prosecution, and forensics in the presence of J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
‘Attitude change needed’
It is imperative to change the attitude of police personnel and the administration, and create awareness about the new laws among citizens in J&K, Mr. Shah said, adding that there is an urgent need to use the provisions for holding trials in absentia in the Union Territory.
The Minister stressed the need to fix the responsibility of police officers to expedite the process of filing chargesheets. Every police station in J&K should put the National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS) into use regularly, he said, adding that all investigating officers should be fully trained in the provisions of the new laws at the earliest. Technology should be used optimally to ensure speedy justice under the new laws, Mr. Shah said.
Security issues not discussed
Emerging from the meeting, Mr. Abdullah said that though the three criminal laws were not within the domain of the newly elected J&K government, there had been discussions on spreading awareness about the laws in schools and universities.
Security issues were not discussed in the meeting, the J&K Chief Minister said. “This meeting is different from the previous meetings to review security-related issues. If a decision has been taken to not include the elected government in security-related meetings, then what can we say about it?” Mr. Abdullah said.
The three criminal laws came into effect nationwide on July 1, 2024.
Published – February 18, 2025 09:03 pm IST