The new criminal laws introduced under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah aim to ensure accessible and efficient justice system, Chief Minister of Tripura Dr. Manik Saha said on Sunday.
The Chief Minister was addressing a Workshop on 'Investigation and Prosecution under New Criminal Laws and NDPS Act' at Prajna Bhavan, Agartala in the presence top police and other officials.
The Chief Minister mentioned that as per Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, community service can be considered as punishment in case of minor offences. Dr. Saha said, he had already discussed the community service as punishment with the Director General of Police in one incident and the DGP acted upon.
Chief Secretary J.K. Sinha, DGP Anurag, Home Secretary Abhishek Singh, Health Secretary Kiran Gitte, Law secretary Sanjay Bhattacharjee and Home (Jail) Secretary Brijesh Pandey among other officials were present.
“These new criminal laws mark a significant step towards creating a citizen-centric, more accessible, and efficient justice system. The laws reflect a victim-friendly, technology-driven, and time-bound approach to justice delivery,” said Dr. Saha.
The three new criminal laws-- Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam have been enacted with effect from July 1, 2024.
New offences like mob lynching have been included in the new laws which aim to replace colonial-era punishments with a justice-focused approach, integrating technological advancements in police investigation and court procedures,” he said.
“Tripura has implemented a Witness Protection Scheme to ensure the safety and cooperation of witnesses. Social stigma makes it very difficult to get cooperation from witnesses. But under this scheme, we hope to provide necessary support," he said.
To implement the new criminal laws in both letter and spirit, all stakeholders present here must work in coordination for the benefit of the common people, The Chief Minister remarked.
Elaborating other sides of the new laws, the Chief Minister emphasized the need of raising public awareness.