- Why in news
- On 29 July 2026, the Ministry of Home Affairs told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply about the digital tools it uses to speed up and add transparency to criminal justice, including CCTNS and ICJS.
- What it is
- CCTNS is the national network that computerises police work from FIR registration to charge-sheet. ICJS is a platform that lets police, courts, prisons, forensics and prosecution exchange records electronically. Both run under the Ministry of Home Affairs and are used for the new criminal laws.
- CCTNS scope
- CCTNS computerises police processes from FIR registration to charge-sheet filing and links with courts and other pillars of justice.
- ICJS purpose
- ICJS lets police, courts, prisons, forensics and prosecution share data, including FIRs, charge-sheets, court orders, forensic reports and prison data.
- ITSSO
- ITSSO is a dashboard to track investigation of sexual offences against women and children and timely charge-sheet filing.
- e-Sakshya
- The e-Sakshya mobile app captures and manages primary digital evidence, keeping its integrity from collection to court.
- NAFIS
- NAFIS is a national fingerprint repository that matches chance prints from crime scenes against criminal records in real time.
- e-Prison
- e-Prison is a cloud-based application that integrates jail databases into one national network and shares data with courts, police and forensic labs.
Don’t confuse with CCTNS vs ICJS: CCTNS digitises police work and records. ICJS is the wider platform that links police with courts, prisons, forensics and prosecution.
Don’t confuse with e-Sakshya vs e-Summons: e-Sakshya handles digital evidence capture. e-Summons handles generation and delivery of court processes in electronic form.
Schemes: 52 Prelims questions since 2013, 10 in Prelims 2026 alone. They test features, the period and who funds it. In Mains, 33 news-triggered questions, mostly GS3.
Why it matters
- Linking police, courts, prisons and forensics cuts delays and duplicate data entry.
- Timeline alerts help investigating officers meet procedural deadlines under the Nyaya Sanhitas.
Problems
- Uneven digital infrastructure and training in police stations, prisons and courts.
- Data security and privacy risks in a centralised biometric and criminal records database.
Way forward
- Build capacity and ensure last-mile connectivity for all agencies.
- Add strong data protection and audit rules for shared criminal records.
Put in your answer
Digital justice tools: Examples such as e-Sakshya, e-Summons, Nyay Shruti and e-Forensic show technology being used across the criminal justice chain.
- 2019Mains GS3 · Q10Explain CyberDome Project and its usefulness in controlling internet crimes in India.
- 2019Mains GS2 · Q8Identify factors hindering ICT project implementation and suggest measures to address them.
UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
No practice question for this one; the card may still help an answer. Why: Lasting justice-technology topic (CCTNS, ICJS, ITSSO, e-Sakshya). Mostly a list of tools, so a question is unlikely.
Worth revising until Prelims 2028: most news questions come within two years of the event.