Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday, 18 July 2026, chaired a review meeting in Siliguri, West Bengal, with senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari and other senior officials to assess the implementation of the three new criminal laws in the state.

Context

Shah posted on X stating that the three new criminal laws are making the country's justice system 'tīvra, pāradarśī aur siṭīzan sentrik' — faster, more transparent and citizen-centric. The Siliguri meeting focused specifically on how West Bengal is rolling out these reforms at the ground level.

The Home Minister noted that digital platforms such as e-Sakshya (electronic evidence management), e-Summons and i-Prison, along with mandatory forensic investigation in offences carrying sentences of more than seven years, Zero FIR provisions and broader technology integration, will 'open a new chapter of good governance and swift justice in Bengal.'

Policy Backdrop

Parliament passed the three new criminal laws — the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA) — in December 2023, replacing the colonial-era Indian Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure and the Indian Evidence Act respectively.

The laws were notified to come into force from 1 July 2024. Key features include mandatory forensic examination for serious offences, the Zero FIR mechanism allowing complaints to be filed at any police station regardless of jurisdiction, and a suite of digital tools designed to reduce procedural delays across the justice chain.

Stakeholders and Impact

West Bengal police and the state judiciary are among the primary stakeholders responsible for operationalising these reforms at the district level. Citizens across the state stand to benefit from faster FIR registration, reduced court pendency and more systematic evidence handling.

The e-Sakshya platform, in particular, is designed to allow police and courts to manage electronic evidence and issue summons digitally, cutting down on paperwork and in-person procedural steps. The mandatory forensics requirement for offences with sentences exceeding seven years is expected to strengthen conviction rates and reduce wrongful acquittals.

Review meetings of this kind — bringing the Home Minister directly to a state capital to sit with local officials — signal the central government's intent to drive uniform, time-bound compliance across all states, including those not governed by the Bharatiya Janata Party.

What's Next

State-wise progress reports on FIR registration timelines and forensic compliance rates are expected to become key benchmarks as the central government continues its phased national review. Similar meetings have been held in other states as part of a broader effort to standardise criminal justice delivery under the new legal framework.

Parliamentary updates on conviction rate changes and the uptake of digital platforms such as i-Prison and e-Summons across states will be closely watched by legal practitioners, civil society and state governments navigating the transition from the colonial-era codes.