Appoint more public prosecutors, increase video conferencing facilities in jails: Shah tells CM

Panaji: Chief minister Pramod Sawant on Monday told Union home minister Amit Shah that more than 95% of new criminal laws were implemented in the state. Shah directed state govt to increase the strength of public prosecutors and video conferencing facilities at the jail.
The Union minister reviewed the status of the implementation of new criminal laws in Goa during a meeting in New Delhi.
Sawant said that Shah appreciated state govt for implementing the new laws in the state State govt started implementing new criminal laws — Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam.— from July 2024. He said that Shah also appreciated the best practices adopted by the state govt.
Sawant said that state was not able to implement two things as per the new laws — recruiting public prosecutors and increasing video conference facilities at the jail so that the accused can attend the trial from the jail itself.
The CM said that state has 53 different courts and a total of 31 public prosecutors. During the meeting, Shah directed the state govt to increase the strength of public prosecutors to 53. State govt will start the recruitment process to fill the remaining public prosecutor positions as per the number of courts.
Similarly, a total of 11 video conference facilities are available at the central jail at Colvale, but considering the number of courts, the Union home minister directed state govt to have 53 video conference facilities in the jail. Sawant said that at present, 20 more video conference facilities have been proposed, and they will be completed shortly.
Shah also called for mandatory registration of all investigation officers (IOs) on the e-Sakshya platform and directed the full implementation of e-Summons in Goa by March 31, the CM said.
The Union home minister emphasised the importance of strictly adhering to timelines in investigation and prosecution to ensure speedy justice. He highlighted the need to achieve a 90% conviction rate in criminal cases of having provision of more than seven years of punishment, Sawant said.
Shah said that senior police officers must regularly monitor cases related to organised crime, terrorism and mob lynching to prevent the misuse of relevant provisions. “Permission from a SP-level officer should be taken before registering cases under these sections.”
Shah also directed police to ensure that property recovered from criminals is returned to its rightful owners in accordance with the provisions of the new criminal laws. The Union home minister stressed the need to achieve 100% forensic sample testing and instructed strict adherence to this goal. He told Sawant, chief secretary and the Goa director general of police (DGP) to continuously review the implementation progress of the three new laws.
The CM also visited The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in New Delhi and engaged in discussions with officials on potential collaborations. Sawant urged TERI to explore opportunities for implementing projects in sustainable agriculture, habitat development, energy efficiency, environmental conservation and resource optimisation to benefit the people of Goa.