Tarikh pe tarikh era over, Chandigarh logs 91% conviction rate under BNS
Ending the “tarikh pe tarikh” archaic era, the Chandigarh Police have achieved over 91 per cent conviction rate under the three new criminal laws during the first year of their implementation.
Chandigarh was the first city in India to fully implement the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA). The new laws replaced the British-era Indian Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure and the Indian Evidence Act, from July 1 last year.
In December 2024, PM Narendra Modi announced the successful implementation of these laws in Chandigarh. Earlier in August, Home Minister Amit Shah had launched four digital platforms to modernise India’s criminal justice system.
Sharing details of the one-year transformation, Chandigarh SSP Kanwardeep Kaur said convictions were secured in 71 of the total 78 decided cases, resulting in 91.1 per cent conviction rate under the BNS. These convictions were achieved in a record time of 109 days from the date of registration. Till June 29, the UT police have registered 3,154 FIRs, including 1,459 e-FIRs, under the new laws. While chargesheets have been filed in 758 cases, the average conviction time has been reduced from 300 days to 110 days.
On how the new regime is different from the old one, the SSP said videography and photography of search and seizure of case property were recorded through the e-Sakashya application and synced with FIRs, thereby helping in proving cases with digital evidence.
The e-Sakshya application has cloud storage of evidence, along with hash value and geo-tagging. This prevents tampering or manipulation.
Five CFSL crime teams, and one standby team, have been set up to ensure that the crime scene can be visited 24×7 in all cases attracting imprisonment for more than 7 years. Besides hiring 14 forensic analysts through National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU), Gandhinagar, 68 CFSL experts and 22 IT specialists have also been recruited to carry out scientific analysis.
“Putting QR code on seized property and messenger details ensures chain of custody,” Kanwardeep said. The e-Sakshya data was accessible to courts instantly, she added.
“With better use of technology, we have got legal sanction to use electronic evidence, forensic tools, CCTNS/ICJS platforms, which have empowered the police and prosecution,” she said. Officials had been on board the iGOT Karamyogi portal and they were being provided extensive training. Hands-on training for using new applications was also imparted to all SHOs, IOs and computer operators.
To streamline operations and enhance inter-agency coordination, Nyay Setu has been introduced as a dedicated digital platform for the police. It provides integrated access to data from all pillars of the Inter-operable Judicial Service System (ICJS).
The Tribune
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