Digital Interventions in Criminal Justice System of India

Why in News?

Recently, Ministry of Home Launched 4 new Digital apps. These advanced tools aim to speed up legal cases and ensure the fast delivery of justice.

The Apps are Abhigyan, CrPI, e-Prosecution 2.0 and e-Forensics 2.0 app.

• Launched by – National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
• Established in - 1986 in New Delhi under the Ministry of Home Affairs, this nodal repository for crime data was based on recommendations from the National Police Commission and Tandon Committee.

Abhigyan App

• Purpose – It is designed for law-enforcement personnel to identify individuals in real time using fingerprint authentication.
• Objective – To make police operations more efficient by enabling on-the-spot identity checks rather than relying solely on police-station-based systems.
• Authorised user – The app is meant for authorized law-enforcement agencies and police personnel.
• It is not a public app for general citizens.

Key Features

• Connects to the NAFIS (National Automated Fingerprint Identification System) database.
• Allows police officers to scan a person's fingerprint using a smartphone and quickly verify identity.
• Can retrieve criminal history and related records within seconds when a matching fingerprint exists in the database.
• According to reports, it is linked to a database containing over 13 million fingerprint records.
• Intended to improve field verification, investigation, and identification of repeat offenders.

CrPI –

• Technology - A multi-modal biometric & Identifying system.
• Features - Using facial recognition, iris, and DNA matching to identify repeat offenders and suspects via CCTV, reducing manual errors.

e-Forensics 2.0 –

• Purpose - Digitally links forensic labs and investigators nationwide.
• Features - It tracks cases, manages lab workflows, generates digital reports, and secures the chain of custody.

e-Prosecution 2.0 –

• Purpose - Integrates police, prosecution, and judicial processes.
• Features - To ensure fast, coordinated legal action and timely punishment once offenders are identified.

Reference

PIB| Abhigyan App