Inter-Operable Criminal Justice System (ICJS) has been established to make the justice delivery system more effective by integrating main pillars of criminal justice, i.e., the Police (CCTNS), Courts (e-Courts), Jails (e-Prisons), Forensic Lab (e-Forensic) and Prosecution (e-Prosecution).
NCRB is the Nodal Agency responsible for implementation of the project in association with NIC, as the Technology Partner. Interlinked data flow in ICJS is based on the “Data Sharing Matrix” approved by the e-Committee of the Supreme Court of India. Under the ICJS 2.0 project all application are being upgraded and funds have been provided to States/UTs to upgrade hardware and network connectivity.
The reforms through ICJS addresses the following areas:
- Facilitate seamless integration between the various data sets of Police, Prisons, Forensics, Prosecution and Courts, which are available in silos.
- Enhance data quality by reducing errors in data entry.
- Increase effectiveness and timeliness in investigations, and consequently in Trials, due to easy access of data between pillars.
- Enabled effective use of data analytics and AI/ML tools available in the investigations.
- Reduce dependence on paper records in decision-making.
- Enable a shift towards “SMART Policing”.
Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS)
Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) project, started in the year 2009, with a total approved outlay of Rs. 2000 Crore, aimed to inter-link all police stations under a common application software for the purpose of investigation, data analytics, research, policy making and providing Citizen Services such as reporting & tracking of complaints, request for antecedent verifications by Police etc. The project is being implemented with close collaboration between States and Union Government.
e-Prisons
e-Prisons application is a cloud-based product developed to computerize and integrate all the activities related to prison and prisoner management in the jail. It is deployed as a unified application for all the states of India where states need to configure state-specific parameters. It provides vital information about the inmates lodged in the prisons in a real-time environment to the courts, prison officials, and other entities that are involved in the Criminal Justice System.
Using the e-Prisons application, the jail officials are able to do identity checks of prisoners using the Biometric data captured during admission, thereby, on a higher level enabling the LEAs to do a PAN India search for prisoners through ICJS. For the ease of citizens, e-Prisons facilitate online visit requests (e-Mulaqat) and grievance redressal. This empowers the officials to track and monitor the visitors while providing necessary visit approvals and catering to grievances in a timely manner.The application is under upgradation under ICJS 2.0 project.
e-Forensics
e-Forensics is an online case registration and tracking system formulated under the project ICJS, which assists the examiners in delivering expeditious, accurate, and reliable forensic reports to the police and other stakeholders to serve and strengthen the criminal justice system for greater public satisfaction.The application is under upgradation under ICJS 2.0 project.
e-Prosecution
e-Prosecution application is developed to assist Public Prosecutors in performing their function as a representative of the State before the Court. The main purpose of the e-Prosecution application is to digitalize the process followed by the public prosecutor as one of the pillars of the criminal justice system to ensure transparent and speedy trials.The application is under ICJS 2.0 project.
National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS)
NAFIS has revolutionized the fingerprint recognition system in crime control. The work of tracing the involvement of interstate criminals in crimes is now being done with greater ease, accuracy and efficiency across the country. It is a transformative and high impact project which has reached each and every part of the country.
NCRB was entrusted with the responsibility to implement the NAFIS project by MHA to create a centralized repository of criminal fingerprints that can be accessed by users of State/UTs and central law enforcement agencies across the country. Before NAFIS, manual system for handling fingerprint data was very rudimentary and time consuming which now has been fully automated with minimal annual intervention.
Criminal Procedure (Identification) System
The Government of India enacted Criminal Procedure (Identification) Act, 2022 which empowers Police and Prison Officers to collect measurements from persons of interest for the purpose of identification and investigation in criminal matters. The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) has been designated as the modal agency responsible for implementing the CrPI Act Across all States and Union Territories in the country.
Under the CrPI Project, 2,649 Measurement Collection Units (MCUs) are being established across all States/UTs, including Police Districts/Commissionerates, Prisons and zonal units of CBI, NIA and NCB. These MCUs will provide effective, efficient and state-of-the-art-platform for capturing, processing and executing search operations under the CrPI system.
