Gaya: Supreme Court judge Justice N Koteshwar Singh on Saturday called for a review of the implementation of the three new criminal laws, saying the focus should be on making the justice system more citizen-centric and less cumbersome.Speaking at the inaugural session of a two-day conference on the uniform implementation of the laws at the Bodh Gaya Convention Centre, Justice Singh said the laws reflected an intent to free the criminal justice system from the colonial legacy while ensuring speedy justice without compromising fairness.He said effective implementation required more than changes in legal wording and stressed that the shift should be from a penal approach to a justice-centric mechanism. Justice Singh also highlighted challenges in forensic investigation, digital evidence and video conferencing, saying judicial officers, prosecutors and defence lawyers needed proper training.Referring to the huge pendency of criminal cases, he stressed the need to reduce repetitive witnesses and make trials more pragmatic. He also praised the concept of zero FIR, saying some issues still needed to be resolved.Supreme Court judge Justice Joymala Bagchi said an efficient and fair justice delivery system makes a country truly great and called for greater reliance on forensic and digital evidence.
