Indigenous Cloud to Store Data, Speed Up Trials

 New Delhi: The Union home ministry is gearing up to establish a dedicated cloud system aimed at enhancing data storage capabilities to facilitate the digitisation of court records, First Information Reports (FIRs), charge sheets, and fingerprints. This initiative precedes the implementation of three Acts related to the new criminal justice systems.

A government official revealed that an indigenously developed cloud system will be created for comprehensive data storage. Through cloud computing, this data can be swiftly accessed by the concerned police stations and e-courts, expediting trials across the country.

To steer this effort, a task force under the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) has been formed to formulate a policy concerning cloud-based data storage. This policy will be crucial for the states and central agencies tasked with executing the new criminal laws.

The government functionary emphasised that the data storage will be developed domestically within a secure and protected environment. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, along with its cyber security wing, the “Computer Emergency Response Team,” will manage and respond to cyber security incidents.

To bolster the security of the cloud storage, another official noted that the access password will be dynamic, with a one-time password provided to users from law enforcement agencies or court officials.

Once implemented, this criminal justice system is poised to become the largest in the world, housing all digitised records of courts, FIRs, charge sheets, and evidence within the data cloud, including the National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS).

Under the provisions of the new criminal laws, electronic records, including Zero-FIR, e-FIRs, charge sheets, and case information, will be generated and supplied through digital means. The legislation mandates videographic and forensic evidence in cases involving seven years or more of punishment, necessitating robust and extensive cloud storage to ensure expedited justice in the country.

During court proceedings, officials added that audio-video recordings should be presented before the relevant judicial officers or magistrates. The recent enactment of three new criminal laws, namely Bhartiya Nyaya Samhita, Bhartiya Nagrik Suraksha Samhita, and Bhartiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, replaces the decades-old Indian Penal Code, Criminal Procedure Code, and The Evidence Act. The new laws aim to ensure fair, time-bound, evidence-based investigations and speedy trials in the pursuit of justice.