Finalize Technical Solution To Sync ICJS System With Police Criminal Database: Delhi High Court To NIC, State Crime Record Bureau

The Delhi High Court has called for finalization of the technical solution to sync the Inter-operable Criminal Justice System (ICJS) system, which stores case data, with the criminal database of the Police, to avoid any discrepancies.

A division bench of Justice Prathiba M Singh and Justice Amit Sharma directed the State Crime Record Bureau (SCRB) and National Informatics Centre (NIC), which are working in coordination for the task, to work on the issue in an expeditious manner.

“Accordingly, let the SCRB and the NIC work on this issue in an expeditious manner and a technical solution be finalised for syncing the records, so that whenever Courts call for SCRB reports, the updated data is readily available,” the court said.

It directed the SCRB and NIC to hold regular meetings within the next two weeks and sought a status report indicating the solution that NIC is suggesting for syncing of data, with a proper timeline for implementation.

The bench was dealing with a suo motu criminal reference received by the trial court in 2021 due to non-updation of the Online Criminal Dossier System, maintained by the SCRB. 

In the case, the system showed that the accused was involved in several cases but the status of the accused was showing that he was in Police or Judicial Custody.

The questions to be decided were whether State's failure to update criminal dossier system regularly is in violation of the constitutional rights guaranteed to an individual and whether the State is bound to keep the criminal dossier well maintained or updated.

The status report filed by the Delhi Police stated that the SCRB and the Police are working towards automatic updation of information relating to orders and judgments.

As per the report, the ICJS system is not synced automatically with the Criminal Database of the Police as there are discrepancies in the SCRB's report and thus, syncing of the data is necessary.

The report also said that the NIC is presently working with the SCRB for the creation of a technical solution to sync the ICJS system with the Criminal database of the Police.

The matter will now be heard on September 09.

Title: COURT ON ITS OWN MOTION v. STATE

Citation: 2024 LiveLaw (Del) 865

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