Digitisation and efficiency in criminal justice system
India’s proposed end-to-end digitisation of the criminal justice system, from FIR registration to case disposal, is a governance reform with clear links to policing, courts, forensics, and procedural law.
- India’s criminal justice system includes police, courts, prisons, forensics, and prosecution.
- India plans a full digital rollout of the criminal justice system from 1 July 2027.
- The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 and the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 are presented as replacing the Indian Penal Code, 1860 and the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973.
- For certain offences with prescribed imprisonment thresholds, forensic examination of the crime scene is mandatory under the new framework.
India’s criminal justice system is set for a full digital rollout from 1 July 2027. The proposed shift is significant because it covers the full chain of criminal process: FIR registration, investigation, filing of chargesheets, trial processes, and disposal.
The digital rollout can improve procedural efficiency. The criminal justice structure includes police, courts, prisons, forensics, and prosecution.
Background and earlier position
UPSC can frame the issue around criminal justice administration, the role of technology in policing and courts, procedural reforms under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, and the balance between efficiency, fair trial rights, and forensic capacity.
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