Haryana Chief Secretary TVSN Prasad on Friday said that the State Government is fully prepared to implement three new Criminal Laws in the State from July 1. Prasad said this while attending the meeting chaired by the Union Home Secretary to review the preparedness for the implementation of three new Criminal Laws namely Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023, Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita 2023 and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2023 in the country, through video conferencing.

While emphasizing the State Government’s commitment to ensuring a smooth transition to the new legal frameworks, Prasad said that the Government will organize functions at all police stations across the state to acquaint the public with the new laws. Approximately 12,759 police personnel, (including Investigating Officers), 250 Law Officers and many Prison Officers have been trained to handle the changes effectively.

He said the Prisons Department is also fully prepared for this end.  All jails within the state possess appropriate and adequate technical infrastructure, with around 300 desktops readily available. Recognizing the importance of virtual Court proceedings, the Department has already installed 149 video conferencing systems across jails and Court complexes and will be procuring 178 more.  This allows for a significant portion of prisoner appearances to be conducted virtually, reducing unnecessary transportation and improving efficiency.

Prasad said that the Department has successfully implemented e-Prisons software in all jails across the State as well which will facilitate electronic submission of custody certificates directly to the Punjab and Haryana High Court in Chandigarh.

The Chief Secretary further said that to ensure all departments are prepared; an Inter-Departmental Committee has formulated a template to assess stakeholder Department readiness. All Departments will submit implementation certificates to the Nodal Department (Prosecution Department) by June 15th, 2024.

Director General of Police Shatrujit Kapur, DGP Prisons, Mohammad Akil and other senior officers of Home, Prisons and Law and Legislative Departments were also present in the meeting.