New Delhi, Feb 18: Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired a review meeting on the implementation of three new criminal laws in Jammu and Kashmir, in the presence of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, in New Delhi Tuesday.

The meeting reviewed the implementation and present status of various new provisions related to police, prisons, courts, prosecution, and forensics in Jammu and Kashmir.

The meeting was attended by the Union Home Secretary, Chief Secretary and Director General of Police of Jammu and Kashmir, the Director General of the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD), the Director General of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), and other senior officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the UT administration.

During the discussion in the meeting, Home Minister Shah asked the UT administration to ensure full implementation of the three new criminal laws, made under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in Jammu and Kashmir by April 2025. He said that optimum use of technology should be made to ensure speedy justice under the three new criminal laws.

The Home Minister said that for the full implementation of the new laws, it is imperative to change the attitude of the police personnel and the administration and create awareness about the new laws among the citizens.

He stated that with a decline in terror activities and improvement in security scenarios in Jammu and Kashmir, the police should now prioritise safeguarding the rights of its citizens. HM Shah added that there is an urgent need to use the provision of Trial in Absentia in the union territory.

The Home Minister stressed the need to fix the responsibility of police officers to expedite the process of filing chargesheets. He said that every police station in Jammu and Kashmir should put the maximum use of the National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS) into practice.

He said that 100 per cent training of investigating officers regarding the provisions of the new laws should be ensured, at the earliest. HM Shah said that decisions on provisions related to terrorism and organised crime should be taken only after thorough scrutiny at the level of the Superintendent of Police. He added that strict monitoring is required to ensure that these provisions under the new laws are not misused.

The Home Minister said that the Jammu and Kashmir administration and government have done satisfactory work towards the implementation of the new criminal laws despite difficult circumstances. He said that the progress of implementation of the three new laws in Jammu and Kashmir should be reviewed on a monthly, fortnightly and weekly basis at the level of the Chief Minister, Chief Secretary and Director General of Police, respectively.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who attended the meeting, later said that some weak areas were pointed out as needing immediate attention.

He said in a Union Territory the elected government is not responsible for implementing the law but indicated that it might play a role in raising awareness about the new law.

(IANS)

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