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). This process would require the data to be entered into the system only once (ONE DATA ONCE ENTRY) and the various databases available could be used for criminal investigation in a joint manner.
The ICJS Project would also provide for changes in technology & processes required across the criminal justice delivery system to enforce the Criminal Procedure (Identification) Act, 2022 and any other amendments made to the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) or applicable Acts during the project. 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.
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.
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.
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.
