India Presents Justice Reforms at 15th UN Congress, Abu Dhabi

India set out its justice reforms at the 15th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, being held in Abu Dhabi. The Union Minister of State with independent charge for Law and Justice, Arjun Ram Meghwal, addressed the Congress and also met the Justice Minister of the United Arab Emirates, Abdullah Sultan bin Awad Al Nuaimi, on the sidelines.

The theme of the Congress

The theme of the Congress opens with Accelerating crime prevention, criminal justice and the rule of law, and the rest of it runs Protecting people and planet and achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the digital age. That wording ties criminal justice to the sustainable development goals and to the digital shift, which is the frame India used for its own presentation.

What India presented

The minister described the three new criminal laws that have replaced the colonial-era codes, namely the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam. He placed their emphasis on the use of technology, quicker disposal, forensic investigation and procedures that are digital by default. On cybercrime he named the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre, written as I4C, and the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, which together allow faster complaints, prevention of fraud and the freezing of mule accounts. He repeated the position of zero tolerance towards terrorism and asked for global cooperation against terrorism, drug trafficking, wildlife crime across borders, illegal logging and the dumping of toxic waste.

The arbitration link with the UAE

The other theme was the legal partnership with the United Arab Emirates in international arbitration and other ways of settling disputes outside court. The tie-up between the India International Arbitration Centre, or IIAC, and the Dubai International Arbitration Centre, or DIAC, covers exchange of knowledge, professional training, joint programmes, research and digital dispute resolution. DIAC handles close to 5,000 cases valued at over AED 80 billion, which is about USD 21.8 billion.

The UNODC meeting

During the visit the minister also met Monika Juma, Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, on cooperation against narcotics and organised crime and on stronger legal and judicial ties. The ministry reads all of this as part of the India and UAE Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, which now runs across trade, investment, energy, technology, defence and education besides law and governance.