The Telangana Police has registered the first FIR with a digital signature under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, one of the three new criminal laws which came into effect on Monday. Director General of Police Ravi Gupta said that the first FIR from Telangana under BNS has been issued from the Charminar Police Station of Hyderabad Police Commissionerate a with digital signature.

The FIR was registered against a person for riding a motorbike in a rash manner and for other traffic offences under Section 281 of BNS (rash driving) and 80 (A) and 177 of the Motor Vehicle Act.

The state police have seamlessly marched with flying colours into the evolving paradigm of the new criminal laws - the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhitha (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA) which have come into force on Monday by replacing the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) and the Indian Evidence Act, respectively, he said.

He congratulated team members who were instrumental in securing this unique honour for Telangana. The DGP also released posters in English and Telugu as part of an awareness campaign about the three new laws. These posters will be displayed at all police stations across the state to guide the citizens regarding the new legislation.

He also unveiled a comprehensive booklet on the standard operating procedure (SOP) for police officers under the new criminal laws. This manual marks a significant milestone in the implementation of the new criminal laws, including 43 SOPs and 31 proformas covering most of the important subjects under the new procedural law, BNSS.

The SOPs, which aim to provide uniform procedures for investigation officers across the state to ensure clarity and consistency in investigations, have been developed by the CID in collaboration with the Director of Prosecution. The DGP commended Additional Director General of Police, CID, Shikha Goel, under whose supervision a Joint Working Group of police officers and prosecution officers prepared this dossier.

He also acknowledged the dedication of Joint Working Group officers such as Commissioner of Police, Nizamabad, Kalmeshwar Shingenavar, Joint Director, ACB, Ritiraj, and other police officers. The DGP also appreciated the immense contribution of the officers of the Directorate of Prosecution, headed by G. Vijayanti. He announced that the investigation support centre at the CID has been upgraded with additional resources including experts and new technology to guide the investigating officers during this transition phase into the new criminal law regime.

This centre, which will function 24x7, started operating from Monday and has domain experts from the investigation, legal and forensic fields. Gupta said that all police officers across the state have undergone training in the new laws and the CCTNS has been upgraded to meet the needs of this new legal regime. He appreciated the training wing, headed by ADGP Abhilasha Bisht, and the technical wing, headed by ADGP V.V. Srinivas Rao, for this achievement.