Gandhinagar: Union home minister Amit Shah said on Thursday that Gujarat govt should ensure that the new criminal laws are enforced in all commissionerates by April 30, 2025, and across the state at the earliest, an official statement said.
Shah presided over a review meeting in New Delhi regarding implementation of the three new criminal laws in Gujarat, with chief minister Bhupendra Patel, minister of state for home Harsh Sanghavi and senior officials. The meeting scrutinised the implementation and current status of various novel provisions pertaining to police, jails, courts, prosecution and forensics in Gujarat, an official statement said.
Quoting the Union home minister, the statement added, “Implementation progress of the new laws should be reviewed monthly by the CM, fortnightly by the state home minister and weekly at the level of chief secretary, additional chief secretary (home) and the DGP.
The statement added that regarding electronic evidence provisions, Shah advised state home and health departments to coordinate for electronic medical and post-mortem reports.
“He emphasised establishing video conferencing facilities for evidence recording in prisons, govt hospitals, banks, forensic laboratories, with dedicated court cubicles in prisons,” the statement said. “The Union home minister also instructed electronic dashboard documentation of detainee details, seizure lists and court-forwarded cases, directing continuous DGP monitoring. He recommended increasing police station internet connectivity speed to 30mbps,” said the statement.
Quoting the Union home minister, the statement added, “The state govt should issue circulars to ensure that provisions of organised crime, terrorism, mob lynching, are not misused. For this, strict provisions should be made for permission from the highest level.” The Union home minister stated that the Gujarat high court has issued directives on Jan 22, 2025, for all subordinate courts to implement e-processes, which is a commendable initiative, the statement said. He also urged the state govt to ensure prompt recruitment of vacant positions in the directorate of prosecution.