Criminal justice system
Topic: Justice Delivery: Subordinate Courts, Tribunals, Legal Aid and Judicial Reforms · NCERT: Class 7, Ch 6 "The State, the Government, and You"
Meaning
The criminal justice system is the chain of bodies that deal with crime: the police, the prosecution, the courts and the prisons. The police investigate, public prosecutors argue the state's case, courts hold the trial and decide, and prisons hold those who are detained or convicted. Since 1 July 2024 it has been run under three new laws. These are the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (crimes and punishments), the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (procedure) and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (evidence). Every link has to respect constitutional rights.
Example
Take a theft. The victim files an FIR, the police investigate and file a charge sheet, and a prosecutor argues the case before a magistrate. If the accused is convicted, they go to prison. The Inter-operable Criminal Justice System links data from the police (CCTNS), courts, prisons, forensics and prosecution so this chain works faster.
Don't confuse with
- Civil justice: this deals with private disputes such as property or contracts, which end in compensation or a decree. Criminal justice deals with offences against society and can end in punishment.
Related concepts
- Police
- Commissionerate system of policing
- Cognizable offence
- Non-cognizable offence
- First Information Report
- Zero FIR
- e-FIR
- Charge sheet
- Arnesh Kumar guidelines
- Police custody