Amit Shah takes to X to explain utility of criminal justice apps

Union home minister Amit Shah

NEW DELHI: The four applications launched by home minister Amit Shah on Friday — Abhigyan, Criminal Procedure Identification (CrPI), e-prosecution 2.0 and e-forensics 2.0 —promise to integrate policing, criminal identification, forensic investigation and prosecution management into a seamless digital chain of the Integrated Criminal Justice System (ICJS), expediting investigation and prosecution through smart use of technology.While NAFIS and CrPI will identify the offender, the crime and criminal tracking and network system (CCTNS) and Crime Multi Agency Centre (Cri-MAC) will connect and support the investigation. E-forensics will strengthen the evidence and e-prosecution will drive the case towards conviction. Over the past four days, Shah has made multiple posts on X to apprise the pubic about the utility of each of the four apps.The first set of posts, uploaded on Friday, said the four apps “will equip our agencies with the key to speed and accuracy in justice delivery by enabling instant matching of fingerprints; integrated DNA, iris and face matching; and seamless digital coordination among the agencies”. In a more specific post on ‘Abhigyan’ on the same day, Shah said it “enables field police personnel to search the national fingerprint database (NAFIS) comprising 1.3 crore fingerprints, using their smartphone from any location, to identify a suspect”. He added: “This app, secured through two-step authentication, is strengthening ground policing through real-time fingerprint-based identification. Powered by fast identification, portable setup and crores of records, the Abhigyan app is a very robust tool.”On Saturday, Shah elaborated on the CrPI app with the post: “The CrPI application integrates facial recognition, iris matching, and DNA matching capabilities. The multi-modal biometric technology enhances the reliability of identification, reduces manual errors, and makes the process more transparent. Its primary applications include the identification of repeat offenders and CCTV-based suspect identification. So far, 2,190 CrPI units have been distributed, and more than 553,000 enrolments have been completed.”On e-forensics, the home minister, in a post on Sunday, said it will “facilitate the real-time use of scientific evidence in investigations by ensuring real-time flow of information”. “It will enable inter-lab case transfers, digital tracking and case monitoring, leading to prompt and perfect delivery of justice.”On Monday, Shah continued the awareness campaign with a post on the e-prosecution app. Describing it “as the new information highway connecting the investigating agencies, prosecution and judicial system,” he said it would facilitate “the bandwidth to dispose of cases within the timeframe set by the BNSS (Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita)”. He added: “Through seamless data streaming it will cut down the time required for identification of criminals, e-evidence integration and will allow monitoring of timelines to deliver prompt and perfect justice.“Under the BNSS, the total time period between the registration of an FIR and delivery of final judgement should not exceed three years.