New criminal laws will enable judiciary to decide cases within 3 yrs of FIR: Amit Shah

Jaipur, Oct 13: Union Home Minister Amit Shah has assured that by year 2027 the justice delivery system, equipped with the three newly-promulgated criminal laws, would ensure the deciding of cases within three years of lodging of FIRs.

Addressing a meeting at Jaipur Exhibition & Convention Center (JECC) here on Monday after inaugurating the exhibition on the theme of the three new laws, Shah lauded the legislations as the most significant reform of the 21st century that on adoption in practice in cent percent cases would make the Indian justice delivery system, the best in the world.

He said the incumbent NDA government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken a number of steps for reforms in the justice delivery system. Now the implementational (procedural) part is in progress that has guaranteed us of giving essence of justice (delivery) on the completion of this process covering all new FIRs.

The Minister said “The new laws have set all stages of legal trials and prosecution in a strict time-line, according to which the FIR registration formalities has to be completed under information to the complainant by two weeks. The chargesheet has to be filed by 60 days in normal cases and by 90 days in serious and otherwise complicated crimes. The hearing process from the beginning up to the level of the Supreme Court – if required-, would be completely within three years.”

Shah said “As the deadlines for FIRs and the chargesheets were set while legislating the laws in July 2024, these were ridiculed as impractical. However, in the lapse of a year, as of now the given deadlines have been achieved and honoured in more than 50 percent of the cases registered by the police. I hope that by another one year these deadlines would be kept in more than 90 per cent of criminal cases.”

The new laws also have provisions for reforms in the process of the court trials, now onwards from the accused to all other involved parties and officials including the police, prosecuting officers, lawyers and doctors would not be required to appear personally before the court; all processes could be performed online through video conferencing. This would not only save the time and other resources, but also avert risks – hazards related to the movement of criminals from jail to the court, he elaborated.

However, the adoption of these reforms in cent per cent cases would take a couple of more years, he said, adding that from 2027 onwards justice would be delivered to litigants within three years.