Assam government focussing on judicial infrastructure improvement: Himanta Biswa Sarma

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday said that his government has focussed on improving the judicial infrastructure in the state during recent times.

He said there was a need for a robust justice delivery system so that relief could be provided to those approaching the state, with both criminal acts or civil disputes.

The judiciary has been playing a crucial role in upholding justice, with the district-level judicial setup being the first point of contact for individuals seeking redress, the chief minister said after inaugurating the newly constructed Sivasagar District Judicial Court building.

A new district judicial court building has already been inaugurated in Barpeta, while court complexes in Bokakhat and Dhubri are nearing completion, he said.

He also said the district judiciaries have also been established in the newly created districts of South Salmara-Mankachar, Bajali, Biswanath, Majuli, and West Karbi Anglong.

The chief minister said, 176 positions of judicial officials and staff have been created for the new districts of Bajali, Biswanath, Majuli, and West Karbi Anglong.

The government has been mulling the creation of a Directorate of Prosecution so that there is no undue delay in prosecution accruing to the government's file works, Sarma said.

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Recently, India's legal landscape has witnessed a profound transformation with the enactment of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Sarma said.

These new legislations, replacing the colonial era's Indian Penal Code (IPC), Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), and Indian Evidence Act (IEA), respectively, underscores a renewed emphasis on principles of fairness, equity, and safeguarding of citizens' rights, he said.

The old laws, originating in the colonial era, are being widely regarded as obsolete, failing to capture the evolving social dynamics of modern India, the CM said.

Against this backdrop and aligning with the Prime Minister's vision for ''Ease of Justice'', the centre took the initiative for a more contemporary legal framework, he added.

Through the passage of the new criminal laws replacing the colonial ones, the government emphasised the spirit of ''citizen first, dignity first and justice first'', Sarma said.

The Chief Minister stressed the need for practising lawyers and police personnel to make themselves adequately familiar with the new set of laws.

Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court Vijay Bishnoi, along with other judges, were also present on the occasion.