Hyderabad: Telangana Police and the Telangana State Judicial Academy will hold a conference in Secunderabad on Thursday to strengthen digital coordination across the criminal justice system.
Director General of Police C.V. Anand said the conference would focus on challenges in implementing the new criminal laws. It would also examine coordination between agencies from investigation through trial.
The Telangana State Judicial Academy would host the conference in coordination with Telangana Police. The event was titled “New Criminal Laws – Strengthening Criminal Justice System through Digital Platforms.”
Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh facilitated the conduct of the conference after considering requests made for the initiative, Anand said. The Chief Justice was scheduled to inaugurate the event as chief guest.
Justice Moushumi Bhattacharya and Advocate General A. Sudarshan Reddy were also expected to attend. Senior officials from the judiciary, police, prisons and prosecution would participate.
Telangana criminal justice conference to address digital gaps
Ahead of the conference, Anand held a review meeting with stakeholders involved in digital implementation of the new criminal laws. During the meeting, he reviewed PowerPoint presentations prepared by the participating stakeholders. He also suggested changes to the presentations before the conference.
The programme would examine technology-based systems designed to connect different parts of the Telangana criminal justice process.
Police, judiciary, prosecution, medical, forensic and prison departments all formed part of the criminal justice chain, Anand said. Therefore, seamless coordination among these agencies was essential for timely justice.
Technical presentations at the conference would cover e-Sakshya and e-FIR. They would also address digital evidence management and video-conference recording of evidence. In addition, participants would discuss digital case management and ways to improve information exchange among agencies.
Telangana criminal justice system faces timeline concerns
Anand said Telangana currently ranked low nationally in compliance with prescribed timelines and adoption of information and communication technology. He attributed the position to inadequate inter-agency coordination. Consequently, the conference would seek to identify ways to improve coordination and digital implementation.
Strict compliance with statutory timelines was necessary to improve justice delivery, the DGP said. Similarly, faster digital submission of evidence and reports could reduce delays in the criminal justice process. Better technology adoption could also improve Telangana’s national standing, he added.
The conference would bring together agencies responsible for different stages of a criminal case. Its discussions would focus on linking investigation, evidence, prosecution, court proceedings and related processes through digital platforms.