PIB:- Published on 11 FEB 2026
Why is it in the news?
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has informed Parliament about the nationwide rollout of the e-Sakshya and Nyaya Setu applications, key digital tools linked to the implementation of India’s new criminal laws (Naveen Nyaya Sanhitas). The statement highlights the scale of adoption, federal responsibilities, and the Centre’s push for technology-driven policing, making it significant in the context of criminal justice reforms.
India’s transition to a modern, technology-enabled criminal justice system received renewed attention after the Ministry of Home Affairs provided an update in the Rajya Sabha on the status of two critical digital policing platforms — the e-Sakshya App and Nyaya Setu. The disclosure, made by Minister of State for Home Affairs Shri Bandi Sanjay Kumar in a written reply, sheds light on how digital tools are being integrated into policing following the introduction of the Naveen Nyaya Sanhitas, India’s new criminal law framework.
The update is important because it reveals both progress and structural limitations: while the Centre has promoted digital infrastructure, operational control and data management remain with the States and Union Territories, reflecting India’s federal constitutional design.
Constitutional Context: Policing as a State Subject
The government’s reply begins by reiterating a key constitutional principle: “Police” and “Public Order” are State subjects under the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution. This means law enforcement, crime investigation, prosecution, and everyday police functioning fall under the authority of State and Union Territory governments. This constitutional positioning has two major implications:
- The Centre can develop and promote digital tools, but cannot directly control their day-to-day use.
- States are responsible for training personnel, operational deployment, and performance evaluation of such systems.
The Centre’s role, therefore, is facilitative rather than supervisory. The update highlights the delicate balance between national reform initiatives and state-level autonomy.
What is the e-Sakshya App?
The e-Sakshya App is a flagship digital evidence management platform launched by the MHA to align policing practices with the new criminal law codes. It is designed primarily for Investigating Officers and focuses on strengthening the chain of evidence. Key features include:
- Capture of evidence through videography and photography
- Secure digital storage and retrieval
- Recording of witness statements
- Structured documentation of crime scenes
- Preservation of digital evidence to reduce tampering
The app is part of a broader push to ensure transparency, accuracy, and accountability in investigations. By digitizing evidence collection, authorities aim to reduce procedural lapses that often weaken criminal cases in courts.
According to the MHA’s statement, the e-Sakshya App is currently being used in 15,899 police stations across 35 States and Union Territories, indicating large-scale adoption. This figure suggests that the digital backbone for evidence collection is being institutionalized nationwide, though the effectiveness of implementation may vary from state to state.
Data Gap: What the Centre Does Not Track
Despite the impressive reach of the app, the MHA clarified that it does not maintain centralized data on:
- Number of FIRs uploaded
- Witness statements recorded
- Digital evidence entries generated
Such information is maintained by the respective State and Union Territory governments. This disclosure is significant because it highlights a data decentralization challenge. While the infrastructure exists, the absence of centralized analytics limits the Centre’s ability to assess:
- Real-time performance
- Adoption efficiency
- Case outcome improvements
- Training gaps
- Regional disparities
Experts argue that without a national performance dashboard, it becomes difficult to evaluate whether the technology is merely installed or genuinely transforming policing practices.
Nyaya Setu: Inter-Agency Coordination Platform
The second app mentioned in the parliamentary response is Nyaya Setu, a platform developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC), Chandigarh, in consultation with Chandigarh Police. Nyaya Setu is designed to enable:
- Seamless inter-agency coordination
- Data-driven policing
- Efficient criminal justice delivery
- Information sharing between institutions
- Faster administrative workflows
Unlike e-Sakshya, which focuses on evidence capture, Nyaya Setu is more about institutional connectivity. It aims to bridge communication gaps between police departments and other agencies involved in the justice system.
However, the MHA stated that further implementation details and effectiveness metrics are not maintained by the Ministry, indicating that Nyaya Setu remains largely a regional or decentralized initiative rather than a centrally monitored program.
Link with Naveen Nyaya Sanhitas
Both applications are tied to the implementation of the Naveen Nyaya Sanhitas, India’s new criminal laws that replaced colonial-era legislation. These reforms aim to modernize the justice system through:
- Technology integration
- Faster investigations
- Evidence digitization
- Streamlined legal procedures
- Increased accountability
The apps represent the technological backbone supporting these legal changes. The government views digital documentation as essential for ensuring procedural integrity under the new legal framework.
Why This Matters
The parliamentary update is newsworthy for several reasons:
- Scale of Digital Policing Reform: The deployment across nearly 16,000 police stations marks one of the largest digital transformations in Indian policing history.
- Federal Governance Dynamics: The Centre’s clarification reinforces India’s federal structure, highlighting that reforms must operate through state cooperation rather than central command.
- Transparency and Accountability: Digitized evidence systems can reduce manipulation, improve court admissibility, and increase conviction rates if properly implemented.
- Data Governance Concerns: The lack of centralized metrics raises questions about evaluation, cybersecurity, and interoperability.
- Judicial Impact: Digital evidence systems could significantly influence trial efficiency and reduce case backlogs if widely and correctly used.
Challenges Ahead
Despite the progress, several operational challenges remain:
- Uneven digital infrastructure in rural areas
- Training gaps among police personnel
- Data privacy and cybersecurity risks
- Resistance to procedural change
- Funding constraints for maintenance
- Lack of centralized oversight mechanisms
Experts emphasize that technology adoption must be accompanied by capacity building and policy coordination, otherwise digital platforms risk becoming underutilized.
Potential Long-Term Impact
If successfully implemented nationwide, these apps could transform India’s criminal justice landscape by:
- Strengthening evidence credibility
- Reducing procedural delays
- Enhancing citizen trust
- Enabling data-driven policing strategies
- Supporting forensic modernization
- Improving inter-agency collaboration
The digital evidence ecosystem could also pave the way for AI-assisted investigations, automated case tracking, and integrated justice platforms in the future.
Conclusion
The MHA’s statement in Parliament underscores both ambition and limitation. The Centre has successfully launched and promoted digital tools aligned with India’s new criminal laws, but their real impact depends on state-level execution.
The e-Sakshya and Nyaya Setu apps symbolize India’s push toward a modern justice system where technology plays a central role. However, the absence of centralized monitoring highlights a governance gap that may need policy attention in the coming years.
As India continues its transition toward digital governance, the effectiveness of these tools will ultimately be judged not by installation numbers, but by their ability to deliver faster, fairer, and more reliable justice.
