The Jammu and Kashmir Police will disseminate information about three new legislation

The three new criminal statutes that will take effect on July 1st will be the subject of a public awareness campaign being conducted by the Jammu and Kashmir Police across the Union Territory.

The Indian Criminal Procedure Code, the Indian Evidence Act of 1872, and the Indian Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, which were all enacted during the colonial period, will be superseded by the new laws.

On December 21, the legislation was approved by the legislature, and on December 25, the president signed it into law.

A police spokeswoman said, “Director General of Police RR Swain has sanctioned Rs 8.23 lakh for conducting awareness programs in all districts of the Union Territory in order to make the people of Jammu and Kashmir aware of these new laws.” According to him, the campaign would organize awareness camps and discussions to educate the public, particularly women and students.

To reach as many people as possible, district police chiefs have been instructed to undertake awareness campaigns at the subdivision level. “A thrust has been given to modernize the investigation process by using technology, and the new laws include provisions that ensure that not only the accused but the victims of crimes and society, in general, receive justice,” the spokesman said.

In addition to trial timelines, he said, “These laws have provisions to tackle terrorism and organized crimes more effectively and incorporate advancements in modern and scientific technology to improve the quality of investigation.” Furthermore, the statutes provide harsher penalties for certain offenses.

According to a police spokeswoman, the new criminal laws have brought in new offenses, such as crimes against the state, organized crime, crimes pertaining to terrorism, mob lynching, failing to report reckless or hasty conduct, snatching, ATM theft, Ponzi schemes, and question paper leaks.

The laws cover electronic or digital records, emails, server logs, computers, cellphones, laptops, SMS, websites, location-based evidence, mail, and messages on devices in the broader definition of documents. He said that there is a plan in place to digitize the whole process, from the FIR to the case diary, the chargesheet to the decision, and so on.

According to the official, filming has been made mandatory throughout any search or seizure that will be used in the case and won’t put innocent people at risk. No chargesheet will be deemed genuine if the police do not make such recordings.

He also said that a new feature of the e-FIR is that each district and police station would appoint a police officer to formally notify the detained individual’s family both in person and online of their arrest.

According to a police spokeswoman, it is mandatory to get the victim’s statement in situations of sexual assault and to capture the statement on camera in cases of sexual harassment.

The Union Home Ministry sent three similar notices on February 24 stating that the new laws’ provisions would take effect on July 1. By defining multiple offenses and their penalties, the laws seek to entirely restructure the criminal justice system.

The clause pertaining to hit-and-run incidents involving automobile drivers won’t go into effect right away, however.