Union Home Minister Amit Shah addressed the 26th All India Fingerprint Conference–2026 in New Delhi on Friday, June 19, 2026, underlining the government's continued push to modernise forensic capabilities across India's law enforcement agencies.

Context

The All India Fingerprint Conference is an annual national gathering organised under the Ministry of Home Affairs, bringing together fingerprint experts, forensic scientists, and senior police officials from across the country. The conference serves as a platform to review advances in fingerprint science and their operational integration into criminal investigations. Shah, who has helmed the Home Ministry since 2019, has consistently championed the use of technology in policing and internal security.

Policy Backdrop

The conference comes against the backdrop of the Criminal Procedure (Identification) Act, 2022, which significantly expanded legal provisions for the compulsory collection of fingerprints and other biometric measurements by police for criminal identification. The legislation marked a major shift in India's forensic jurisprudence, enabling wider use of biometric data in investigations and trials. The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), operating under the Ministry of Home Affairs, manages national crime databases and runs the country's Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS), which links fingerprint records across states for inter-agency use.

Successive administrations have invested in integrating biometric tools within centralised national databases to improve the speed and accuracy of criminal identification. The present government has accelerated this agenda under broader police modernisation schemes, pushing for digitisation of criminal records and real-time data sharing between state police forces and central agencies.

Stakeholders and Impact

The primary stakeholders are state and central police forces, forensic laboratories, and the judiciary, all of which depend on reliable fingerprint evidence in investigations and prosecutions. Improved fingerprint infrastructure directly affects conviction rates and the efficiency of criminal justice delivery across the country. Forensic experts attending the conference represent a specialised community whose work underpins evidence-based policing at every level.

Citizens benefit indirectly through a more capable law enforcement ecosystem, while civil society groups have in the past raised questions about data privacy and the scope of biometric data collection under the 2022 Act. The government's position has been that stronger forensic tools are essential to reducing crime and improving accountability in the criminal justice system.

What's Next

Observers will watch for any announcements emerging from the conference regarding the expansion of AFIS integration with national crime databases, new forensic infrastructure investments, or updated protocols for inter-state sharing of fingerprint records. The Home Ministry's focus on forensic modernisation is expected to continue as part of its wider internal security agenda. Further policy directions, if announced during Shah's address, are likely to shape the roadmap for fingerprint science and forensic policing in India over the coming years.