New Delhi, 19 June (H.S.): Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Friday said the country's criminal justice system must evolve into an effective mechanism capable of safeguarding every citizen's constitutional rights. He asserted that if a person's rights relating to life, property, or dignity are violated and the offender remains unpunished for years, such a system cannot be considered just.

Addressing the 26th All India Fingerprint Conference-2026 at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Auditorium of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Shah said that a comprehensive campaign to reform the criminal justice system was launched in 2019. The initiative aims to modernise criminal laws in line with contemporary requirements, make science and technology an integral part of criminal investigations, and ensure that the entire process—from the registration of an FIR to the conviction of the accused—is completed within three years.

He said India is currently undergoing a transformative phase in its criminal justice system. Earlier, police stations were viewed primarily as institutions responsible for maintaining law and order, but over time their role expanded to include crime control and investigation. The next step, he said, is to transform the entire justice delivery system into an effective instrument for protecting the constitutional rights of citizens.

The Home Minister lauded the National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS), saying it has helped solve several complex criminal cases. However, he noted that only about 10 per cent of its full potential is currently being utilised. Shah said NAFIS should not merely serve as a tool for identifying criminals; it is equally important to strengthen its database by uploading fingerprints collected from every crime scene.

He further said that training should not be confined to the use of software applications alone. Instead, it should focus on building scientific evidence, filing charge sheets, conducting prosecution, and making the entire judicial process technology-driven. When scientific evidence such as fingerprints, DNA profiles, facial recognition, and telephone records is available, there should be no need to collect an unnecessarily large volume of additional evidence.

Shah stressed that coordinated efforts are essential to ensure the effective use of technology throughout the chain of investigation, prosecution, and conviction. With this objective in mind, several provisions have been incorporated into the new criminal laws after taking into account the requirements of both the judiciary and the prosecution.

The Home Minister said that, with the cooperation of all State Governments and police forces, the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) has now achieved 100 per cent coverage. All 17,840 police stations across the country have been integrated with the network, which now contains data relating to 378.6 million FIRs, including legacy records.

He further stated that 22,000 courts have been integrated with the e-Courts system, while the e-Prisons platform contains more than 27 million records. In addition, the e-Forensics system holds forensic data relating to 3.448 million cases and more than 4.316 million crime alerts.

Shah said that effective crime control in the country would not be possible without the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) and the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D). He commended the officers and staff of the NCRB, saying their role would become even more significant in the years ahead. He also described the Fingerprint Bureau as a vital pillar in strengthening India's criminal justice system.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar