The Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD) has prepared “crash courses” and “moot court proceedings” to train police officials across the country in implementing the three criminal laws that were passed by Parliament last month.
Three sets of training modules have been developed for officers from the rank of Station House Officer to Additional Director-General of Police (ADGP). The BPRD functions under the Union Home Ministry.
Also read | Roll-out schedule of 3 new criminal codes will be notified by January 26
While a two-day crash course has been readied for officers from the rank of Inspector-General of Police to ADGP, those up to the rank of Superintendent of Police will receive training for three days, and others for five days.
In the training module, the three laws have been divided in sections of nine and 11 with intended outcomes such as “understanding and addressing gender-based crimes”, “proficiency in arrest procedures and rights”, and “legal implications of admissions and confessions and difference between primary and secondary evidence”.
Each section has been attributed weightage in the range of 5% to 20%.
The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which replaces the Indian Penal Code; the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA), in place of the Indian Evidence Act; and the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), in place of the Code of Criminal Procedure, were notified in the Gazette of India on December 25. The government is yet to announce when the laws would be implemented.
The course titled “Sensitisation Of New Criminal Laws BNS-2023, BNSS-2023 AND BSA-2023” will begin with a 30-minute video of the parliamentary debate.
The three laws were passed by the Lok Sabha on December 20 and the Rajya Sabha the next day, in the absence of the majority of Opposition members.
The course focuses on “reforms” and various sessions have been named around that. For example, one session is about “Reforms in Offence against the State (Deshdroh)” and “An Overview of Reform: Additions, Deletions and Modifications and Definitions”.
The BPRD has also prepared another 25-day training module for extensive training of police officials. According to the module, “Role Play Trainees will complete an investigation simulation and then that chargesheet will be tried in the moot court, where if possible the help of practicing advocates and Judges can be elucidated”.
As reported by The Hindu on January 8, the government is now looking at a phased implementation of the three criminal laws in the country as the necessary paraphernalia and training of police officials may take longer. It plans to start with the Union Territories.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is learnt to have suggested at the annual police meet that concluded in Jaipur on December 7 that the three laws should be rolled out in a targeted manner in all Union Territories by 2024-end and not just Chandigarh as was being planned earlier. It was deliberated that every State will have the liberty to implement the three laws in a phased manner.
