Government strengthens nationwide implementation of new criminal laws through training, technology and judicial reforms
PIB reports that India rolled out the Bharatiya criminal justice laws from 1 July 2024 and strengthened implementation through training, technology, and judicial reforms.
- The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 are new criminal laws covering offences, procedure, and evidence rules.
- Police and public order are State-list subjects under the Seventh Schedule, so States and Union Territories lead law-and-order work and implementation; the Centre adds funding for infrastructure.
- Bureau of Police Research and Development conducts capacity-building programmes and webinars for Master Trainers and other stakeholders.
- High Court of Madhya Pradesh reported amendments in Case Information System (CIS) and e-Courts software to support implementation of the new criminal laws.
What happened (announced legal rollout + capacity building)
The Government of India, as communicated through the PIB release based on information provided by the Ministry of Home Affairs, stated that the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS), the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS) and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 (BSA) came into force throughout India with effect from 1 July 2024.
States and Union Territories reported measures for implementation such as issuance of relevant notifications and rules, adoption of digital applications, and capacity building for stakeholders. Training of police personnel and other State-level stakeholders is primarily undertaken by the respective State and Union Territory Governments.
UPSC can frame the issue as a governance problem: how legal change (BNS/BNSS/BSA) becomes effective on the ground through training of police and judicial staff, digital case systems, and institutional monitoring—while recognising federal responsibilities of States and Union Territories for law and order.
