20 FIRs registered on Day 1 under new criminal laws in Punjab
The first FIR was lodged at Sadar Dhuri police station in Sangrur district.
The first FIR under provisions of the newly introduced criminal law Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) was registered at Sadar Dhuri police station in Sangrur district for theft, officials said on Monday.
However, technical glitches in the software meant many districts in the state couldn’t register FIRs till the filing of this report. Till evening, only 20 FIRs were registered across the state under the new law.
The first FIR was registered under Section 303(2) of the BNS on the complaint of theft of cable wires of water motors from the tubewell. The section deals with cases of petty thefts (where the value of the stolen property is less than ₹5,000).
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Investigation Officer (IO) in the case, sub-inspector, Tarsem Singh claimed that there were no major difficulties in registering the FIR as the content and style of registration of the case was more or less the same as it was earlier.
“We have been provided training to register an FIR under BNS. However, there were some technical glitches in uploading some content online. As compared to the previous procedure, the only difference is the section to be applied for a particular crime. Rests procedure and details sought in the FIRs are almost the same,” the IO said.
Three new criminal laws came into effect on Monday, bringing far-reaching changes in India’s criminal justice system. The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA) replaced the British-era Indian Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure and the Indian Evidence Act, respectively.
However, several districts faced technical glitches in registering FIRs due to issues with software used to share data and information.
“No FIR was registered in many districts including in Jalandhar and Ropar as the officials kept waiting for issues to get resolved,” an official, pleading anonymity, said. “We are expecting things to get better by evening. We will then register FIRs,” said an SHO posted in Rupnagar district.
According to an inspector rank official posted in Mohali, the IO has to upload a statement of the complaint and crime scene and other witnesses online on the E-sakshya application.
“The IO has to upload his or her photo as well on the application and other videos related to the case. Video recording of the allegations levelled in the content of the FIR is a must,” said the inspector quoted above.
Meanwhile, inspector general of police (headquarters) Sukhchain Singh Gill said that three new criminal laws have been implemented in the state. “Punjab police has trained over 20,000 personnel to make them familiar with these laws so that they won’t face any issues while implementing these laws,” he said.
In a video statement, Gill said, “The three new criminal laws have come into force in the country. Under these laws, there are some special provisions like e-FIR. “In many aspects of investigations and search and seizures, the provision of video/audio recording is compulsory. Summons can be served through electronic means. There is a provision for updating the complainant regarding investigations. Besides this, there are many other provisions under the new laws,” he added.