Chandigarh cops all set for new criminal laws

Chandigarh, June 30

Three new criminal laws will be implemented in the city from July 1, for which 1,836 investigating officers (IOs) of the Chandigarh Police had undergone training.

The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA) will replace the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) and Indian Evidence Act (IEA), respectively.

SSP Kanwardeep Kaur said all investigating officers had been trained and each of them had been given a tablet to investigate the crime scenes efficiently. The tablets will be used for capturing GPS and time-tagged videos and photos of the crime scene.

Under the new laws, Sections for various crimes have been revised and cases will now be registered accordingly. “Investigations of crimes pending before July 1, 2024, will continue under the old laws. Crimes occurring before July 1 but registered afterward will fall under the IPC framework,” said the SSP.

The ongoing crimes that span both before and after July 1, with cases registered post July 1, will be handled under both IPC and BNS.

A new app called “E-Sakshay” has been developed to aid officers in recording search and seizures at crime scenes, and in utilising the tablets for capturing evidence with GPS and time-stamping capabilities.

The videoconferencing (VC) centres for witnesses in legal cases have been set up at city police stations eliminating the need for them to appear in court.

These VC centres will also be established in courts, prisons, hospitals, Deputy Commissioner’s (DC) office and the Sub-Divisional Magistrate’s (SDM) office.

A special training programme and briefing session by the senior officers was also organised at Recruit Training Centre, Sector 26, with regard to the implementation of new criminal laws.

UT DGP Surendra Singh Yadav addressed the police officers. A total of 110 Chandigarh Police personnel, including DSPs, SHOs, Unit incharge, IOs and CCTNS Operators attended the training programme.