Mob Lynching, Extremist Cases To Be Handled By SP-Rank Officers: Odisha CM
To facilitate this, the Chief Minister suggested linking jails, hospitals, forensic labs, and courts through video conferencing, enabling witnesses to testify remotely.
Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has directed the state home department to ensure that no officer below the rank of Superintendent of Police (SP) supervises cases related to mob lynching, extremist activities, and organised crime.
The Chief Minister issued this instruction on Wednesday night while reviewing the implementation of three newly enacted criminal laws — the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA).
“Cases involving mob lynching, extremist activities, and organised crimes must be directly monitored by officers of SP rank or above,” Majhi stressed, underlining the importance of adopting digital processes such as e-FIRs, e-summons, and e-evidence to accelerate justice delivery.
To facilitate this, the Chief Minister suggested linking jails, hospitals, forensic labs, and courts through video conferencing, enabling witnesses to testify remotely. He further directed that investigations and judicial processes be conducted electronically wherever feasible, according to an official statement from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).
As part of efforts to modernise crime investigation, the state government has also decided to deploy at least 32 advanced mobile forensic vans across Odisha in the near future.
According to officials, over 98 per cent of police personnel in the state have already been sensitised to the new criminal legislations. Forensic laboratories are being upgraded, with 247 additional positions created for forensic and cyber forensic experts.
Similarly, the prison department has completed training for all its staff under the new legal framework, while measures are underway to introduce video conferencing facilities in jails. In addition, 267 new posts have been sanctioned in the state’s prosecution cadre, and steps are being taken to amend provisions in the Odisha Prosecution Rules in alignment with the BNSS, officials added.
