3 minute readJune 19, 2026 07:53 PM (IST)
Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday highlighted greater use of technology, artificial intelligence and scientific evidence in criminal investigations and said the government is working to ensure that the entire criminal justice process, from registration of an FIR to conviction and appeal, is completed within three years.
Speaking at the inaugural session of the 26th All India Fingerprint Conference 2026 in New Delhi, Shah said the Narendra Modi government has undertaken comprehensive reforms in the criminal law since 2019 with an aim to make science and technology an integral part of the criminal justice system.
After the launch of the applications developed by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Shah said, “The NCRB-Abhigyan, CrPI, e-Prosecution 2.0 and e-Forensics 2.0 applications launched today will help expedite disposal of pending cases and ensure timely delivery of justice.”
The Union Home Minister said ensuring justice within three years from the registration of an FIR to conviction is a key objective of the government’s criminal justice reforms and asserted that India has come close to achieving that goal in the last seven years.
Mr. Shah emphasized the importance of scientific investigation, saying fingerprints remain one of the most important pieces of evidence, and urged countries to continue strengthening the National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS) database by uploading fingerprints collected from crime scenes.
“No matter how cunning criminals are, they cannot escape the combined forces of law and science,” Shah said.
He said the government was moving beyond the traditional force-based policing model to scientific evidence-based investigation and crime management.
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Shah also outlined plans for a predictive policing framework that uses artificial intelligence, machine learning and pattern analysis to identify repeat offenders and interstate criminal networks before a crime is committed.
Shah said the database, which includes 1.29 billion fingerprint records, nearly 1 million drug offender records and 3.65 billion human trafficking records, will be transformed into actionable intelligence through advanced analysis.
He said the Crime and Crime Tracking Network and System (CCTNS) has now been implemented in all 17,840 police stations across the country and contains 376.8 billion digital records.
Shah also said the government is working with the Supreme Court and various high courts to prepare a blueprint to reduce the pendency of cases. He said efforts were underway to set up night courts and devise a mechanism for resolving criminal cases pending in the High Court.
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Shah urged states to create specialized teams to analyze crime patterns and criminal profiles using AI and data analytics, while stressing the need for strong cybersecurity safeguards, accountability mechanisms and regular audits to protect criminal databases.
