SRINAGAR, Sept 11: Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha Thursday said that India’s new criminal laws will strengthen the country’s policy of zero tolerance against terrorism and help remove terrorism from society.
Speaking at J&K Police Public School Bemina, Sinha said that the new laws have replaced colonial-era criminal justice rules after nearly 150 years.
He said this marks a historic shift, freeing India’s justice system from the remnants of colonial rule and focusing on protecting vulnerable groups.
“These three laws have completely transformed our criminal justice system and shifted the focus toward victims rather than just punishment,” Sinha said.
He said the process began in 2019 when PM Modi ordered a review of all British-era laws. “Since then, feedback was collected from all states and union territories to shape new laws, which aim to create justice and equality for all”.
Sinha added new laws have ended the colonial system of oppression, abolished the old imperial legal framework, and made forensic investigation mandatory for serious crimes.
He also emphasised the need for public awareness about these changes, stating that the Jammu and Kashmir Police, Education Department, and Legal Services Department should continue to organize awareness campaigns.
“I am pleased that the Crime Branch Kashmir has organised this campaign. I hope similar efforts will be made by Crime Branch Jammu and at the district level,” he said.
Sinha also said for the first time, terrorism has been clearly defined in Indian law as acts that threaten national unity, public safety, or peace. “These measures will strengthen zero tolerance against terrorism and help cleanse the region of its effects”. (KNO

Jammu, Sep 11: A suspected blast took place in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district on Thursday, triggering panic in the area, sources said.
The blast took place in Dumri Mohalla near Jamai Masjid in Doda, they said.
Police have reached the spot and further details are awaited.
Two people have been detained for questioning.
Tension prevailed in the district and adjoining areas following the detention of over 80 people and violent clashes between protesters and security forces after the arrest of AAP MLA Mehraj Malik under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA). (AGENCIES)

UDHAMPUR, Sep 11: One person lost his life while several others were injured after a tempo overturned near Celebration Hall, Battal Ballian on the Jammu–Srinagar National Highway (NH-44) on Thursday.
An official said, the vehicle was on its way from Jammu towards Udhampur at around 4:30 AM when it lost control and turned turtle, leaving multiple passengers injured.
All the injured were immediately shifted to Government Medical College (GMC) Udhampur for treatment, official said.
However, one of the injured, identified as Shakeel (40), son of Irshad and resident of Punia, Bihar, succumbed to his injuries, he said.
Police have taken cognizance of the incident, and further investigations are underway. (KNC)

Jammu, Sept 10: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sanjay Singh on Wednesday criticised the arrest of party MLA Mehraj Malik under the Public Safety Act (PSA), calling it “unconstitutional”.
Malik, a legislator from Doda, has been detained under the provisions of the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act, 1978, on grounds that his activities were prejudicial to the maintenance of public order, officials said.
Singh, who arrived in Jammu earlier in the day, said he would meet party leaders in the region and review the next steps. He stated that the party would raise the issue on the “sadak” (streets), in the “sadan” (Parliament), and possibly in the Supreme Court as well.
“It is unconstitutional to slap the Public Safety Act (PSA) on Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Doda MLA, Mehraj Malik. This is the government’s anti-people mindset that a man was asking for a hospital, you slapped PSA on him,” Sanjay Singh said in Jammu.
He further alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is targeting AAP leaders.
“BJP, the Prime Minister is always after AAP, that is what is happening with us…We will take up this matter strongly, at the street and in Parliament, and we may also approach the Supreme Court,” he added.
Doda MLA Mehraj Malik was booked under provisions of the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act 1978 (PSA) on Monday on grounds of his activities being prejudicial to the maintenance of public order. Preventive detention under the PSA was found necessary in the interest of maintaining public order and safeguarding law and order in the region, according to officials.
Shamas Din Malik, father of the detained AAP MLA, said that his son was wrongly charged under the Public Safety Act (PSA), mentioning that the court will decide the legality of his arrest.
“The court will decide now…There was a fight with DC sahib (Deputy Commissioner of Doda)…He has been wrongly charged under PSA,” Shamas Din Malik said. (Agencies)