UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Government Strengthens Nationwide Implementation of New Criminal Laws Through Training, Technology and Judicial Reforms

Q1. The overall implementation and monitoring of the three new criminal laws (BNS, BNSS and BSA) across all States and Union Territories is coordinated at the Union level by which one of the following?

  • A. Ministry of Law and Justice, which drafted the three codes
  • B. NITI Aayog, through its cooperative-federalism verticals
  • C. Ministry of Home Affairs, largely through its Bureau of Police Research & Development
  • D. The e-Committee of the Supreme Court of India

Q2. Consider the following statements regarding the three new criminal laws and the statutes they replaced: 1. The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 replaced the Indian Penal Code, 1860. 2. The Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 replaced the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973. 3. All the three laws came into force on 1 July 2024, except sub-section (2) of Section 106 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 replaced the Indian Penal Code, 1860.
  2. The Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 replaced the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973.
  3. All the three laws came into force on 1 July 2024, except sub-section (2) of Section 106 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q3. In BPR&D's rollout of the new criminal laws, the 'Training of Trainers' (ToT) model refers to which one of the following approaches?

  • A. A scheme under which every police officer is directly trained by BPR&D faculty at New Delhi
  • B. A cascade approach in which a limited pool of Master Trainers is trained centrally and they in turn train the bulk of field personnel across the States and UTs
  • C. A programme under which trainers from foreign police academies are invited to certify Indian police officers
  • D. A model in which serving judicial officers are deputed to train police personnel, and police train judges in return

Q4. Consider the following statements about the institutional roles in implementing the new criminal laws: 1. The Ministry of Home Affairs is the nodal ministry for the implementation of the new criminal laws. 2. The Bureau of Police Research & Development developed 13 training modules for the various stakeholder groups. 3. The Ministry of Law and Justice is the body that trained the Master Trainers for the police forces. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The Ministry of Home Affairs is the nodal ministry for the implementation of the new criminal laws.
  2. The Bureau of Police Research & Development developed 13 training modules for the various stakeholder groups.
  3. The Ministry of Law and Justice is the body that trained the Master Trainers for the police forces.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q5. The Union Home Minister launched a set of flagship digital applications at Chandigarh to operationalise the technology provisions of the new criminal laws. How many such applications were launched?

  • A. Three
  • B. Four
  • C. Five
  • D. Six

Q6. Which one of the following statements about the digital applications for the new criminal laws is correct?

  • A. Nyaya Shruti has made the physical appearance of every witness in court entirely obsolete
  • B. e-Summon is the sole channel through which all court summonses across India must now be issued
  • C. e-Sakshya enables the recording and storage of digital evidence such as videography and photography of crime scenes on an evidence server accessible to courts
  • D. Nyaya Setu exclusively links police stations and deliberately excludes the forensic and prosecution departments

Q7. With reference to the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D), which one of the following is correct?

  • A. It was established in 1986 and functions under the Ministry of Law and Justice
  • B. It is a statutory body constituted under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023
  • C. It was established in 1970 but functions under the National Crime Records Bureau
  • D. It was established in 1970 and functions as an office under the Ministry of Home Affairs

Q8. Consider the following statements about the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D): 1. It was set up in 1970 to give a new direction to police research, taking over from the earlier Police Research and Advisory Council. 2. Its headquarters is located in New Delhi. 3. It functions as an attached office under the Ministry of Law and Justice. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. It was set up in 1970 to give a new direction to police research, taking over from the earlier Police Research and Advisory Council.
  2. Its headquarters is located in New Delhi.
  3. It functions as an attached office under the Ministry of Law and Justice.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q9. With reference to the programme 'A Golden Year of Trust in the Justice System', consider the following statements: 1. It marked the completion of one year of the three new criminal laws. 2. By that milestone, all 28 States and all 8 Union Territories had achieved 100% completion of capacity building. 3. The associated NCRB review covered integration of CCTNS 2.0, NAFIS, prisons, courts, prosecution and forensics with ICJS 2.0. 4. The programme declared that every provision of the new laws, including sub-section (2) of Section 106 of the BNS, had been made fully operational. Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. It marked the completion of one year of the three new criminal laws.
  2. By that milestone, all 28 States and all 8 Union Territories had achieved 100% completion of capacity building.
  3. The associated NCRB review covered integration of CCTNS 2.0, NAFIS, prisons, courts, prosecution and forensics with ICJS 2.0.
  4. The programme declared that every provision of the new laws, including sub-section (2) of Section 106 of the BNS, had been made fully operational.
  • A. 1 and 3
  • B. 2 and 4
  • C. 1, 2 and 4
  • D. 3 only

Q10. The high-level review meetings held with State Governments and the National Crime Records Bureau to monitor implementation of the new criminal laws were chaired by which one of the following?

  • A. The Union Minister of Law and Justice
  • B. The Union Home Minister
  • C. The Cabinet Secretary, Government of India
  • D. The Chief Justice of India

Q11. Under the new criminal laws, the visit of forensic experts to the crime scene to collect evidence has been made mandatory for offences punishable with imprisonment of at least how many years?

  • A. Three years
  • B. Five years
  • C. Seven years
  • D. Ten years

Q12. The nationwide roll-out of the new criminal laws requires each State and Union Territory to frame and notify its own rules. This is because criminal law, criminal procedure and evidence are placed in the:

  • A. Union List (List I), on which only Parliament may legislate
  • B. State List (List II), reserved exclusively for State Legislatures
  • C. category of residuary subjects under Article 248
  • D. Concurrent List (List III), on which both the Union and States may legislate