Car Nicobar, June 27: The Andaman & Nicobar Police have launched an extensive initiative to educate the public about the newly enacted criminal laws: the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023.
Recognizing the transformative impact of these laws on the criminal justice system and the wide reach of media, the Nicobar District Police organized a virtual press conference today. Sh. Sunny Gupta, IPS, Superintendent of Police, Nicobar District, addressed the media fraternity, emphasizing the preparedness of the District Police to implement the new laws. He highlighted several citizen-centric and reformative features of the new criminal laws, including the facilitation of online FIR registration (e-FIR) and the introduction of Zero FIR provisions, allowing FIRs to be filed from any location in the country.
Additionally, he informed that the Laws provide for virtual tendering of evidence at designated locations, eliminating the need for physical presence in courts. The use of technology during search and seizure procedures will ensure transparency in police investigation. Victim-centric provisions include the free supply of FIR copies to victims and the requirement for investigation officers to update victims on the investigation status within 90 days. The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 also incorporates new offences like mob lynching, organized crimes, terrorism and crimes perpetrated from outside India.
For the effective implementation of these new criminal laws on the ground, we have trained all our police personnel in online and offline mode on the legal as well as technical aspects of the new laws. All the police personnel have done certification courses on new laws on iGOT Karamyogi platform. Master Trainers are available at each police station to provide education and address issues and concerns related to the new criminal laws. As on date 51 awareness programs were conducted among the public in different places under Nicobar District. These efforts are designed not only to inform citizens about their rights and responsibilities under the new laws but also to foster a safer and more cohesive community.
Sh. Sunny Gupta answered questions from the media, ensuring clarity on various aspects of the new laws. The conference concluded with a request to media houses to widely circulate information about the introduction of the new laws from July 1, 2023, and to highlight their core citizen-centric, victim-centric, and reformatory provisions to the general public.