{"id":118784,"date":"2024-07-09T19:13:02","date_gmt":"2024-07-09T13:43:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/?post_type=editorial-analysis&#038;p=118784"},"modified":"2024-07-11T15:39:46","modified_gmt":"2024-07-11T10:09:46","slug":"new-provisions-for-police-officers","status":"publish","type":"editorial-analysis","link":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/editorial-analysis\/new-provisions-for-police-officers","title":{"rendered":"New Provisions For Police Officers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>basic duties of police officers have changed<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with the new criminal laws, the <\/span><b>Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) coming into effect.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 100.201%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"width: 100%; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: rgba(184, 165, 217, 0.53); text-align: left; vertical-align: middle;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Relevancy for Prelims: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/editorial-analysis\/three-criminal-law-reform-bills\/\">Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS)<\/a>, New Provisions for Police Officers- Rules for Registering FIRs, Rules for Videography, \u201ceSakshya\u201d, Provisions of Arrest, About Timelines, On Terrorist Acts, etc.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Relevancy for Mains:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), its impact on change of basic duties of police officers- provisions, Significance, and Challenges, etc.<\/span><\/span><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>About New Provisions for Police Officers<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Effective:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The<\/span><b> new criminal laws have become effective from July 1<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) have been issued by the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD) to <\/span><b>guide police officers in implementing the new provisions.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"vc_button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pw.live\/batches\/upsc?utm_source=seo+upsc+batch&#038;utm_medium=seo+upsc&#038;utm_campaign=seo&#038;utm_id=upsc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Enroll now for UPSC Online Course<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Rules for Registering FIRs<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Legal Boundation:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The <\/span><b>officer in-charge of a police station cannot refuse<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to register an FIR on the basis of lack of jurisdiction or disputed jurisdiction. He is <\/span><b>legally bound to register (popularly known as a zero FIR) <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and transfer such a case to the respective police station.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Towards Digitalisation:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> While information can be given orally or in writing as before, it may also be given by <\/span><b>electronic means <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">which is to be taken on record by the officer in-charge <\/span><b>if it is signed within three days <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">by the person giving it.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Authority to Decide:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> While no one can stop a police officer from enquiring into the information immediately if it is of a sensitive nature, the electronic mode by which information may be given must be decided <\/span><b>by the agencies,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> such as the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) portal, the police website or officially published email IDs.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Difference from Earlier Provision:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Though this practice was followed earlier too, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) now <\/span><b>has a direct provision<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> under Section 173; <\/span><b>non-registration of FIRs may attract penal action<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> under various sections.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Rules for Videography<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Mandatory Provisions: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The BNSS mandates videography<\/span><b> during a search conducted by the police under Section 185<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">; of the <\/span><b>scene of crime (Section 176)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">; and of the process of conducting a<\/span><b> search of a place or taking possession of any property (Section 105)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Need For: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since these are mandatory provisions, any negligence on the part of the police may benefit the accused persons. Therefore<\/span><b>, investigating officers (IOs) must be provided electronic devices and proper training<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to discharge such functions.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Use of \u201ceSakshya\u201d: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is a <\/span><b>cloud-based mobile app<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><b>designed by the National Informatics Centre<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for enforcement agencies, which allows capturing multiple photos and videos.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>photographs of witnesses and selfies of IOs <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">may be captured.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Each item is geo-tagged and time-stamped<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to ensure the integrity of data.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is an <\/span><b>initiative under the Inter-operable Criminal Justice System (ICJS) <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and this <\/span><b>data will be available to other agencies such as the judiciary, prosecution and cyber forensic experts.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Provisions of Arrest<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Mandatory Display:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Information about arrested persons is to be mandatorily displayed in police stations.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Boards (including in digital mode) containing names, addresses and the nature of the offense <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">must be put up outside police stations and district control rooms.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Section 37 of the BNSS:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> It <\/span><b>requires a police officer in every police station,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> not below the rank of Assistant Sub-Inspector, to be responsible <\/span><b>for maintaining and prominently displaying information<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> about the arrested persons.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Restrictions Placed: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some restriction has been imposed on the arrest of <\/span><b>frail or sick and elderly persons.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Section 35(7): <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It states that the<\/span><b> permission of an officer not below the rank of DySP is mandatory for arresting a person<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> charged with an offense punishable for <\/span><b>imprisonment of less than 3 years if such person is infirm or is above 60 years of age.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>On Handcuffing: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Though the <\/span><b>law now provides for the use<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of handcuffs in certain cases, the <\/span><b>IOs must use them cautiously.\u00a0<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The<\/span><b> Supreme Court <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">has laid down that handcuffing may be done only when there is a<\/span><b> possibility of escaping<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> from custody or <\/span><b>causing harm to himself or others.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"vc_button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/store.pw.live\/govt-entrance-exams\/upsc-books\/upsc-textbooks?utm_source=SEO&#038;utm_medium=PW+Live&#038;utm_campaign=UPSC+Textbooks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check Out UPSC NCERT Textbooks From PW Store<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>About Timelines<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><b>For Medical Examination of a Rape Victim: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The registered medical practitioner is mandated under <\/span><b>Section 184 (6)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of the BNSS to forward the medical report to the IO <\/span><b>within seven days, <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">who shall forward it to the magistrate concerned.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>On the Investigation of <a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/age-of-consent-under-pocso\/#:~:text=crimes%20against%20women.-,What%20is%20the%20Significance%20of%20the%20POCSO%20Act%3F,needed%20to%20protect%20their%20rights.\">Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO)<\/a> Cases:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> It is required to be <\/span><b>completed within two months <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">of recording the information of the offense.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Earlier, this time limit was <\/span><b>only for rape cases<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> under the Indian Penal Code.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Electronic Devices and Progress: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A <\/span><b>new provision under Section 193(3)(h) <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">requires the IO to maintain the sequence of custody of an electronic device.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Though maintaining a chain of custody is important for every seizure, emphasis is laid on<\/span><b> electronic devices <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">because they are <\/span><b>sensitive pieces of evidence and more vulnerable to tampering.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While <\/span><b>every police officer is required to upgrade his skills about maintaining integrity <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">of electronic records, the task of the cyber expert is likely to increase with many of the mandatory provisions coming into effect.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This sub-section also<\/span><b> imposes a duty to inform the progress of the investigation within 90 days <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">to the informant or victim.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>On Terrorist Act<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Clear Demarcation: Section 113<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> introduced in the BNS defines what is a<\/span><b> \u2018terrorist act\u2019<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Registration of Case:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The BNS imposes the <\/span><b>duty on an officer, <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">not below the rank of Superintendent of Police (SP), to <\/span><b>decide whether to register a case under this Section or the UAPA.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Guidelines and Discretion: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since, no guidelines are given to exercise this discretion, the SP may inter-alia<\/span><b> consider factors <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">such as:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whether the terrorist organization is notified under the UAPA.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Approximate time needed to complete investigation.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The rank of the IO and the level of scrutiny required.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How dangerous the accused person is.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"vc_button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pw.live\/batches\/upsc\/pw-only-ias?utm_source=seo+upsc+batch&#038;utm_medium=seo+upsc&#038;utm_campaign=seo&#038;utm_id=upsc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Enroll now for UPSC Online Classes<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 100.2%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: rgba(184, 165, 217, 0.53); text-align: left; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Mains Question:<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/mains-answer-writing\/discuss-how-basic-duties-of-police-officers-have-changed-with-the-new-criminal-laws-coming-into-effect-10-marks-150-words\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Q. Discuss how basic duties of police officers have changed with the new criminal laws coming into effect. (10 Marks, 150 Words)<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 100.031%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 137.936%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\" colspan=\"2\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Must Read<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 50.5357%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/editorial-analysis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UPSC Daily Editorials<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 87.4001%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/daily-current-affairs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UPSC Daily Current Affairs<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 50.5357%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/store.pw.live\/govt-entrance-exams\/upsc-books\/upsc-textbooks?utm_source=SEO&#038;utm_medium=PW+Live&#038;utm_campaign=UPSC+Textbooks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check Out UPSC NCERT Textbooks From PW Store<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 87.4001%; 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text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/quiz\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Daily Current Affairs Quiz<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 87.4001%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/mains-answer-writing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Daily Main Answer Writing<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 137.936%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\" colspan=\"2\"><a href=\"https:\/\/store.pw.live\/govt-entrance-exams\/upsc-books?utm_source=SEO&#038;utm_medium=PW+Live&#038;utm_campaign=UPSC+CSE+Books\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check Out UPSC CSE Books From PW Store<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The basic duties of police officers have changed with the new criminal laws, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) coming into effect. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":119122,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"paper-wise":[],"subject":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/editorial-analysis\/118784"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/editorial-analysis"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/editorial-analysis"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=118784"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/editorial-analysis\/118784\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":118880,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/editorial-analysis\/118784\/revisions\/118880"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/119122"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=118784"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=118784"},{"taxonomy":"paper-wise","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/paper-wise?post=118784"},{"taxonomy":"subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/subject?post=118784"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}