Tarikh pe tarikh no more, UT posts 95% conviction rate in cases filed under BNS
‘Tarikh pe tarikh’ days are over in Chandigarh if the whopping 95 per cent conviction rate achieved by the UT Police is any indication.
In a record of sorts, the Chandigarh Police have secured 95 per cent conviction rate within a record minimum time under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA).
The development assumes significance as Chandigarh was the first city in the country to adopt and fully implement all three criminal laws in the country.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had in December last announced the successful implementation of the new criminal laws in Chandigarh.
Earlier, Home Minister Amit Shah had in August last launched four digital platforms to modernise India’s criminal justice system in the UT.
Replacing the British-era Indian Penal Code (IPC), Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and the Indian Evidence Act (IEA), the new criminal laws came into effect on July 1.
Sharing details of the path-breaking achievement, the UT Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Kanwardeep Kaur, told The Tribune on Saturday that the Chandigarh Police had demonstrated exceptional efficiency and professionalism in implementing the new criminal laws, leading to a significant improvement in the pace and quality of criminal justice delivery.
“Under the new legislative framework, we have successfully secured convictions in 39 out of 41 decided cases, marking a 95% conviction rate in cases related to theft, snatching and special local laws,” she disclosed.
A 2013-batch Punjab cadre IPS officer, Kanwardeep, who is the second woman SSP of Chandigarh, serving here since March 2023, said most significantly, these cases related to theft, snatching, vehicle theft, molestation, and special local laws were disposed of within an average of 90 days from the date of FIR registration, a stark improvement compared to the average 3 years recorded in the previous year. “This has been made possible through the strategic use of digital tools, technology-driven investigations, and time-bound legal procedures introduced under the new criminal laws,” said the young SSP, who personally supervised the investigations in all major cases.
The case studies of successful convictions revealed that a case of drinking in public and causing nuisance was disposed of in 17 days with the conviction of the accused with six-month probation and fine. Two snatchers were convicted and sentenced to one-year rigorous imprisonment and fine within a record time of 18 days.
Similarly, an accused in a burglary case was sent to two-year RI and slapped Rs 3,000 fine within 92 days and a vehicle theft case was disposed of in 56 days with the conviction of an accused to two-month RI. Another vehicle theft accused was convicted to 79-day RI within 151 days and an accused in the case of molestation and outraging modesty of a female nurse was convicted within 162 days. Two snatching and theft cases were settled in 166 days and 164 days, respectively, with the conviction of the two accused in both cases.
Divulging the strategic initiatives and efforts behind swift convictions, Kanwardeep said Chandigarh Police had adopted a technology-forward and victim-centric approach as mandated by the new criminal laws.
“This 95% conviction rate and reduced trial timeline underlines the transformative potential of the three new criminal laws. These laws are paving the way for a modern, technology-enabled, victim-friendly criminal justice system, with Chandigarh Police leading by example in this national shift,” the SSP added.
PM’s dream comes true
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while announcing the successful implementation of three new criminal laws in Chandigarh on December 3, 2024, had said days of ‘tarikh pe tarikh’ are over. Laying stress on the importance of timely delivery of justice, Modi had noted that the new criminal laws represent a concrete step towards realising the ideals enshrined in the Constitution for the benefit of all citizens. “New criminal laws are becoming protectors of the rights of citizens,” the PM had remarked.
Chandigarh