NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah on Thursday announced a major push towards modernising India’s criminal justice system through science, technology and data-driven policing. Addressing the inaugural session of the 26th All India Fingerprint Conference (AIFC) 2026 in New Delhi, he said the government is working to build a justice delivery mechanism that is faster, more transparent and capable of delivering convictions within three years.
During the event, Shah launched four digital platforms developed by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) — Abhigyan, CrPI, e-Prosecution 2.0 and e-Forensics 2.0 — aimed at improving coordination among police, forensic experts, prosecutors and courts.
The event was attended by senior officials, including the Directors of the Intelligence Bureau (IB), NCRB and Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL).
A New Era Of Criminal Justice Reforms
Speaking at the conference, Amit Shah said India is currently witnessing one of the biggest transformations in its criminal justice framework. “The time has come to make the criminal justice system an effective and appropriate instrument for ensuring the rights guaranteed to citizens by the Constitution,” Shah said.
He stated that since August 2019, the government has been undertaking comprehensive reforms to modernise criminal laws and make scientific investigation an integral part of the system.
The Home Minister reiterated that one of the government’s major objectives is to ensure justice within three years, beginning from FIR registration to conviction. “We are establishing a robust framework to ensure justice within three years, and the country has moved very close to achieving this goal,” he said.
Extensive Coordination With States
Mr. Shah said he has personally held consultations with Chief Ministers and Home Ministers of 24 states to ensure the successful implementation of the new criminal laws. He praised the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) and NCRB for supporting state police forces through training and capacity-building programmes. According to him, these efforts have enabled the smooth implementation of new criminal laws in police stations across the country.
Scientific Evidence Will Drive Future Investigations
The Home Minister stressed that scientific evidence has become the strongest weapon in crime fighting. “Scientific evidence is the most powerful weapon in combating crime,” he said. He explained that preserving evidence from crime scenes at the earliest stage significantly increases the possibility of securing convictions.
Shah highlighted fingerprints as one of the most important forms of scientific evidence and described the National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS) as a critical component of the country’s investigation infrastructure.
However, he urged authorities to continuously strengthen the database. “NAFIS should not be used merely to identify offenders. Its effectiveness depends on continuously enriching the database,” he said.
Key Highlights Announced By Amit Shah
• No Criminal Should Escape Technology-Driven Justice
The Home Minister made it clear that criminals should not be able to exploit weaknesses in the system. “No criminal, however intelligent, should be able to evade the combined force of law and science,” Shah said.
He added that scientific investigation, speedy prosecution and integrated digital systems are essential for effective crime control.
• Convictions Within 90 Days Already Being Achieved
Shah revealed that several cases under the new criminal laws have already resulted in convictions, including life imprisonment, within just 90 days. He said these developments demonstrate the effectiveness of the reforms.
• Training Needs To Become Practical
The Home Minister urged authorities to expand training beyond learning software applications.
Training programmes should cover:
- Scientific evidence collection
- Crime scene preservation
- Filing concise charge sheets
- Digital evidence management
- Coordination among police, prosecutors and forensic experts
He also urged Directors General of Police across states to dedicate at least one day every week for training over the next year.
Data Must Become Intelligence
Amit Shah repeatedly stressed the importance of converting large datasets into actionable intelligence. “Data yields real value only when transformed into intelligence,” he said.
He asked states to establish dedicated teams that can use Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning and advanced analytics to:
- Identify repeat offenders
- Study crime patterns
- Build offender profiles
- Detect interstate criminal networks
- Prevent future crimes
He also called for stronger cybersecurity safeguards to protect sensitive databases.
Massive Digital Infrastructure Already Built
The Home Minister highlighted the scale of India’s existing digital ecosystem.
Current Criminal Justice Database Strength
- 17,840 police stations connected under CCTNS.
- 37.68 crore FIR records available digitally.
- 22,000 courts connected through e-Courts.
- 2.29 crore prisoner records available under e-Prisons.
- 34.48 lakh forensic case records digitised.
- 43.16 lakh Cri-MAC alert records available.
- 1.29 crore fingerprint records stored nationally.
- 9.91 lakh narcotics offender records maintained.
- 3.65 lakh human trafficking case records available.
Shah said these databases are national assets that must now be transformed into operational capabilities.
Three-Year Justice Goal Reaffirmed
Reiterating the government’s long-term vision, Shah said the ultimate objective is to complete the entire judicial process, including appeals up to the Supreme Court, within three years.
“Wherever a crime is registered in the country, the entire judicial process, including appeals up to the Supreme Court, should be completed within three years,” he said.
He added that the Ministry of Home Affairs is working with the Supreme Court and High Courts to reduce case pendency and introduce mechanisms such as evening courts.
Concluding his address, Amit Shah praised the efforts of NCRB and BPR&D and said they are evolving beyond traditional record-keeping institutions into intelligence-driven crime prevention organisations that will play a decisive role in India’s future security architecture.
