The Hidayatullah National Law University (HNLU) and the Chhattisgarh Police Department successfully concluded the second edition of their capacity building programme on new criminal laws, following three days of intensive deliberations from May 27-29, 2024.

The inaugural session on May 27th featured Justice P N Prakash, former Judge of the Madras High Court, as the Chief Guest, and Prof Ranbir Singh, former Chairperson of the drafting committee for the new criminal laws, as the Guest of Honour.

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Prof VC Vivekanandan, Vice Chancellor of HNLU, opened the event by highlighting the emphasis of the new laws on electronic evidence, aimed at enhancing transparency and accountability. He acknowledged the initial challenges of implementing these laws but expressed confidence that they would become more efficient with practical experience.

Guest of Honour Prof Ranbir Singh stressed the necessity for updates in criminal law, underscoring the multifaceted role of enforcement officials who must now act as both technocrats and socially sensitive agents.

Justice PN Prakash echoed this sentiment, highlighting the importance of collaboration between national law universities and police forces. He recognized the challenges enforcement officials might face initially but praised the comprehensive structure of the training programme as a significant step in capacity building.

Director General of Police, Chhattisgarh, Ashok Juneja, IPS, welcomed attendees and expressed gratitude for the Ministry of Home Affairs’ recognition of the programme. He noted that this initiative is the first of its kind in India. Dr. Vipan Kumar, Registrar in charge of HNLU, extended thanks to the programme’s resource persons.

The second phase of the programme involved Deputy Inspectors General (DIGs) and Superintendents of Police (SPs). The third phase will include training six batches of police officers through five-day modules, aiming to train approximately 1,000 senior police officers as master trainers.

The programme is designed and coordinated by the Centre for Comparative Law (School for Law and Governance) and the Centre for Law and Forensics (School for Law and Technology) at HNLU, with Dr. Pankaj Umbarkar and Abhinav K Shukla serving as convenors.

Distinguished speakers at the event included Justice P N Prakash, Dr. Neeraj Tiwari (Assistant Professor at National Law University, Delhi), Raghavendra Srivatsa (Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court), Srinivasa Rao (Senior Partner at Haranahalli Law Partners, Bengaluru), and Amit Pai (Advocate on Record at the Supreme Court).

The programme concluded with a valediction on May 29, 2024, marking a significant milestone in enhancing the capacity of law enforcement in India.