News Excerpt:

In a major fillip to India’s fight against terrorism and organised crime, the Union Home Minister virtually inaugurated a unique digital Criminal Case Management System (CCMS) designed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in New Delhi.

More on the news:

• NIA’s 2 new branch offices in Jammu and Kochi and a residential complex in Raipur were also inaugurated by the Union Home Minister.
• He also launched a mobile app called Sankalan, a compendium of New Criminal Laws by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).

About the Criminal Case Management System (CCMS):

• The newly developed Criminal Case Management System will enable the NIA personnel to better coordinate in terrorism and organised crime cases, thereby improving justice delivery. 
• The two new office complexes in Jammu and Kochi and the residential complex in Raipur will strengthen the agency’s reach and presence. 
• These complexes also provide a safe and secure environment for NIA officers and personnel to operate in the States, tackling the menace of terrorism and left-wing extremism. 

Sankalan app: 

• It has been designed to help users navigate new criminal laws, acting as a bridge between old and new laws.
• The app will work in offline mode as well and its availability has been ensured in far-flung areas so that all stakeholders can have access to desired information around the clock.

Significance:

• This new-age software would help to carry out effective and expeditious investigations and operations. 
• It will help the State forces organise, integrate and digitalise the data generated during investigations, such as case documents, extracted data, collected evidence, and the charge sheets presented to the court. 
• CCMS would further foster stronger cooperation between the central and state agencies, including the state police's Anti-Terror Squads.
• The state-of-the-art CCMS software would not only bring standardisation into investigations but also enable easy and streamlined compilation of terror-related data across the country.
• The newly developed system will also boost supervision by providing clear frameworks for assessment and guidance by both the senior police officers and the prosecutors.
• It will assist NIA and the State Police forces’ preparedness to implement the newly legislated post-colonial era Criminal laws in the form of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakhsya Sanhita.