Assam has emerged as one of India's top-performing states in the implementation of the new criminal laws, recording a compliance score of 92.16 per cent against the national average of 74.86 per cent, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced on Thursday, 3 September. The state's performance comes more than a year after the landmark rollout of the Nyay Sanhitas on 1 July 2024.

Key Compliance Achievements

According to Chief Minister Sarma, Assam has achieved 100 per cent compliance across several critical parameters tied to the new criminal justice framework. These include the adoption of the Nyay Sanhitas and Model Rules, as well as full integration with the Inter Operable Criminal Justice System (ICJS) Data Sharing Matrix — a platform designed to facilitate seamless exchange of criminal justice information across agencies.

The state has also recorded full compliance in the National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS) and the Medico-Legal Examination and Post-Mortem Reporting System, both of which are central to modern forensic and investigative processes under the new legal regime.

What the Government Said

Sharing the assessment on social media platform X, Chief Minister Sarma attributed the progress to greater use of technology, improved inter-agency coordination, and strict adherence to the provisions of the new laws. He said the results reflect the state government's sustained commitment to strengthening criminal justice delivery.

'Every victim is heard, every case is pursued to the end, and every citizen receives timely justice,' Sarma said, outlining the administration's stated priorities under the new framework.

Background: The Three New Criminal Laws

The three statutes at the centre of this overhaul — the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam — replaced the Indian Penal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure, and the Indian Evidence Act respectively, effective 1 July 2024. The transition marked one of the most comprehensive overhauls of India's criminal justice architecture in over 150 years.

National Context and What Comes Next

Assam's performance assessment comes as states across India work to align policing, investigation, prosecution, and judicial processes with the new legal provisions. The national average compliance of 74.86 per cent indicates that a significant gap remains between leading and lagging states. Notably, this is among the first detailed state-level compliance disclosures since the laws came into force, setting a potential benchmark for peer comparison.

Chief Minister Sarma said Assam would continue to work towards strengthening its justice delivery mechanism and ensuring timely outcomes for citizens. Further progress reviews are expected as implementation deepens across the state's districts.