CHENNAI: From October 2 onwards courts in Tamil Nadu will not accept handwritten police documents like first information report (FIR), inquest, arrest card, seizure mahazar and charge sheet, a police source said. Officials said, in a major modernization leap, the first time in the country, Tamil Nadu will become the first state in the country to use only system generated documents for all police cases in all courts till the charge sheet stage. As of now, the state has achieved 100% computerized documents only in respect of FIRs. “An administrative sanction for the new regimen has been okayed by the Madras high court Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul,” officials said. As part of the ambitious Common Integrated Police Record Updating System (CIPRUS), a criminal case is divided into seven phases, each requiring a form. While Form-1 concerns FIR, Form-7 is about an appeal, which is the last stage. In between, there are separate forms for different stages of a case. This standardized format will usher in uniformity in documenting criminal proceedings across the country. Officials said, now, officials and complainants alike can check the status of the cases concerning them from anywhere. “Except such sensitive cases as rape and terrorist-related offences, one could check the status of all cases”, added officials. Tamil Nadu along with several other states like Delhi, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Odisha that have fully computerized FIRs from April 15, 2016. Now the state has zipped past others in achieving the Form-5 level, say officials. Source said, “All Police stations from now on wards including special wings, will file only system generated documents for trial. Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) is the only exception’’, source said. Officials said, as a pilot project, Form-5 level was tried in Kancheepuram district since August 18, 2016, and it was successful, say officials, adding that about 300 cases had already been filed in courts in that district. Judicial officers handling those documents suggested minor suggestions such as font size and alignment. They have all been rectified by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) which is executing the project in coordination with the State Crime Records Bureau (SCRB), officials added. “Once necessary circulars are issued by registrar general of the high court to all subordinate courts, the new regimen will come into effect,” they said. The Central Government wanted to allocate only for the computerisation of 1,482 police stations in its original financial allocation, but Tamil Nadu. But Chief Minister Ms. J.Jayalalithaa and the ex-Director-General of Police Mr. K Ramanujam wanted all Police Stations and special police wings to be modernized simultaneously , and sanctioned `10 crore out of the state funds, an official said. The officials said, “The aim is to ultimately integrate Police, Judicial and Jail Records, so that remand process and even trial gets easier than now. Once all states too are inter-linked, tracing criminals and their antecedents, including convictions and pending cases, will be easy”, the official added.]]>
