For over 160 years India ran on criminal laws written by the British — the Indian Penal Code (1860), the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Indian Evidence Act (1872). They were designed to control a colony, not serve its citizens. In December 2023 Parliament passed three replacement codes, and they came into force on 1 July 2024.
Justice & Legal Reform
Justice & Legal Reform
On 1 July 2024, India replaced three colonial-era codes — the Indian Penal Code (1860), the CrPC and the Evidence Act — with the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam. The reform puts victims and technology at the centre, from e-FIRs to forensic evidence. The counter shows the growing digitisation of court records (illustrative).
3 codes
New criminal laws (July 2024)
IPC → BNS
Colonial code replaced
2027
Fully digital justice (target)
Colonial codes replaced (2024)
| Year | Court records online |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 2 crore |
| 2015 | 4 crore |
| 2016 | 6 crore |
| 2017 | 9 crore |
| 2018 | 12 crore |
| 2019 | 16 crore |
| 2020 | 19 crore |
| 2021 | 22 crore |
| 2022 | 25 crore |
| 2023 | 27 crore |
| 2024 | 28 crore |
| 2025 | 29 crore |
| 2026 | 30 crore |
2014
0crore
Court records online
20142026
Since 2014
Added
+28 crore
2014
2 crore
2026
30 crore
Why it matters The old codes were written for 19th-century colonial rule. The new laws add offences like organized crime and mob lynching, mandate forensics for serious crimes, allow online and zero-FIRs, and set time limits for investigation and trial — aiming for faster, more accessible justice.
- The three new criminal laws took effect on 1 July 2024, replacing the IPC, CrPC and Evidence Act.
- FIRs can now be filed online (e-FIR) and at any police station (zero-FIR), via CCTNS.
- The criminal justice process is targeted to go fully digital via ICJS by 1 January 2027.
- Forensic examination is now mandatory for serious offences; summons can be served electronically.
History
Notable milestone
The three new laws — Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA) — replaced the colonial trio in one stroke. They add modern offences (organized crime, terrorism, mob lynching), make forensic examination mandatory for serious crimes, and put victims and speed at the centre.
How it works
Complaints can now be filed as e-FIRs online or as zero-FIRs at any police station, logged in the CCTNS database. Serious crime scenes require forensic teams; summons and evidence can move electronically; and investigations and trials carry statutory time limits. The Interoperable Criminal Justice System (ICJS) links police, courts, prisons, prosecution and forensics.
Outlook
Alongside the new codes, the e-Courts project has digitised hundreds of millions of case records and rolled out virtual hearings and e-filing. The aim is a justice system that is faster, more transparent and reachable from a phone — cutting the pendency that has long plagued Indian courts.
The road ahead
Passing laws is the easy part; the hard part is implementation — training police, prosecutors, judges and forensic staff, building lab capacity, and digitising every police station and court. The government targets a fully digital criminal-justice chain by 1 January 2027. Success will be measured in faster convictions and fewer undertrials, not in the statute book.
By the numbers
3 new criminal codes in force since 1 July 2024. They replaced the IPC (1860), CrPC and Evidence Act (1872). e-FIR / zero-FIR now available nationwide via CCTNS. ICJS targeted to be fully digital by 1 January 2027. Sources: Ministry of Home Affairs, e-Courts, PIB.
Source: MHA / e-Courts — new criminal laws (July 2024) and case-record digitisation. Counter illustrative.