What Is E-Sakshya?
India's Digital Evidence Revolution
How a government-built mobile app is transforming crime scene investigation and reshaping India's criminal justice system under the landmark new criminal laws of 2024
01 — BACKGROUNDThe Dawn of a New Era in Indian Evidence Law
For over 150 years, India’s criminal justice system operated under three laws drafted during the British colonial era — the Indian Penal Code (1860), the Code of Criminal Procedure (1973), and the Indian Evidence Act (1872). [Wikipedia — BSA] These laws, while foundational, were ill-equipped to address 21st-century realities: digital crimes, electronic evidence, video-recorded confessions, and the explosion of smartphone-based documentation. [Lawgical Search] As Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated at the launch ceremony, “laws made 150 years ago cannot remain relevant today” and the old laws had “the machinery of implementation” from an era whose objectives were fundamentally different from those of modern India. [PIB — 4 Aug 2024]
On 1 July 2024, India made a historic pivot. The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA) — all notified in the Gazette of India on 25 December 2023 — came into force simultaneously. [PIB Press Release, Jul 2024] These new laws are described by legal commentators as “a structural rewrite of India's criminal law architecture” designed for citizen-centred, technology-ready, and time-bound justice. [Lawgical Search] The Indian Evidence Act, 1872 was officially repealed on the same date. [Wikipedia — IEA] Central to the technological transformation accompanying these laws is the eSakshya application.
“eSakshya is a significant step forward in digitising India’s criminal justice system, enhancing procedural integrity and evidence management.” — NIC Informatics Magazine, October 2024 informatics.nic.in
02 — WHAT IS E-SAKSHYA?The App That Is Changing Crime Scenes
eSakshya (e + Sakshya, meaning “electronic evidence” in Sanskrit/Hindi) is a comprehensive suite featuring both a mobile application and a web portal, developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) — a division of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India. [StudyIQ] It is described on the official Google Play Store as “an Application for evidence collection & preservation” that enables real-time capture of video and images of evidence and witnesses. [Google Play — NIC]
The platform was officially and widely launched on 4 August 2024 by Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah in Chandigarh, alongside three complementary digital platforms: Nyaya Setu (inter-agency coordination), Nyaya Shruti (audio-visual witness statements), and e-Summon (digital court summons). [PIB — Official Launch] Together these form the technological backbone of India’s Interoperable Criminal Justice System (ICJS 2.0) — a cloud-based project that seeks to seamlessly integrate all five pillars of the criminal justice system: police, courts, prosecution, prisons, and forensics. [Criminal Law Blog, NLUJ]
The official ICJS portal describes eSakshya as designed to “streamline the collection, management, and exchange of digital evidence” with evidence captured in real time and stored in an encrypted locker with APIs supporting seamless integration with courts and existing justice systems. [ICJS Official Portal] At the August 2024 launch, Home Minister Shah confirmed: “under e-Sakshya, all videography, photography and testimonies will be saved on the e-evidence server, which will also be available in the courts immediately.” [PIB]
Real-Time Video Capture
Officers record crime scenes, searches & seizures from their smartphones. Each recording is capped at 4 minutes; multiple recordings can be uploaded per FIR. [Forensics Digest]
Encrypted Cloud Upload
Evidence uploads to the National Government Cloud (NGC) into “Sakshya Lockers” — encrypted, tamper-resistant digital vaults. [ICJS Portal]
GPS + Auto-Timestamp
Every upload is geo-tagged and auto-timestamped — confirming exact place and time of evidence collection. [StudyIQ]
Selfie Authentication
The officer must upload a selfie after completing the procedure to confirm identity and actual presence at the scene. [Forensics Digest] This makes proxy investigations virtually impossible. [Kashmir Reader]
Offline Hash Value
If connectivity is unavailable, officers record locally, generate a hash value to seal data integrity, then upload later from the police station. [UPSCprep]
Instant Court Access
Judges & magistrates access evidence online via the ICJS portal immediately, with no physical transfer of files required. [StudyIQ]
03 — LEGAL FRAMEWORKBNSS & BSA: The Laws That Power E-Sakshya
eSakshya is not merely an app — it is a legal compliance instrument. It was developed specifically in consonance with Sections 105 and 183 of the BNSS, [Criminal Law Blog, NLUJ] and operationalises multiple mandatory provisions across the new criminal laws. It supports compliance with the BNSS requirements for audiovisual recording and forensic examination in serious offences. [NIC Informatics]
| Section | Law | Legal Requirement | How eSakshya Complies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sec. 105 | BNSS | Compulsory audio-video recording of search & seizure in criminal cases | Real-time video documentation of search operations via the mobile app [ForumIAS] |
| Sec. 173 & 180 | BNSS | Recording of witness statements in digital form | Audio-visual statement capture with GPS coordinates and auto-timestamp [Kashmir Reader] |
| Sec. 176 | BNSS | Mandatory crime scene videography; mandatory forensic expert presence in serious offences | Geo-tagged video with selfie verification; documents FSL expert involvement formally [Kashmir Reader] |
| Sec. 497 | BNSS | Digital property custody records for seized material | QR-coded seized property records with chain-of-custody log; “putting QR code on seized property ensures chain of custody” [The Tribune] |
| Sec. 63(4) | BSA | Chain of custody & admissibility requirements for electronic evidence | Blockchain audit trails and cryptographic hash certification fulfill this mandate [WhiteBlack Legal] |
| Sec. 329 | BNSS | Expert certification required for digital / electronic evidence | Part-A Certificate (police/videographer) + Part-B Certificate (forensic expert) dual-certificate workflow built into the app [StudyIQ] |
The BNSS specifically mandates audiovisual recording in crimes where the punishment is seven years or more. [Forensics Digest] Evidence must also be linked with FIR, GD (General Diary), and CNR numbers for traceability across the justice system. [StudyIQ] Tamil Nadu has additionally implemented SID packets — Secure, geo-tagged, time-stamped evidence bundles with hash verification — as part of its state-level eSakshya implementation. [StudyIQ]
04 — TIMELINEFrom Concept to Courtroom
2023
Legislative Introduction
Home Minister Amit Shah introduces the Bharatiya Sakshya Bill in Lok Sabha on 11 August 2023, alongside the BNS and BNSS Bills — together forming the largest overhaul of India's criminal laws since Independence. [Wikipedia — BSA]
2023
Parliament Passes All Three Laws
BSA passed by Lok Sabha (20 Dec) and Rajya Sabha (21 Dec 2023). Presidential assent received 25 December 2023. All three laws notified in the Gazette of India on the same day. [Wikipedia — BSA]
2024
New Laws Come Into Force — eSakshya Deployed
BNS, BNSS, and BSA take effect 1 July 2024. [PIB] Rajasthan Police is among the first in India to implement eSakshya, with DGP Hemant Priyadarshi confirming that Investigation Officers can now record evidence digitally through the app and store it on the cloud. [Free Press Journal, Jul 2024]
2024
National Launch by Home Minister
eSakshya formally and widely launched on 4 August 2024 in Chandigarh by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, alongside Nyaya Setu, Nyaya Shruti, and e-Summon, for transforming India's criminal justice system. [PIB — Official Launch]
2025
One Year Milestone — Fragmented Adoption
As the new laws complete one year, 35+ lakh FIRs have been filed under BNS. However, 21 states including Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh are yet to notify e-Sakshya rules. Only 7 states and 4 UTs have done so. [The Tribune, Jul 2025]
2026
ICJS 2.0 Rankings — Uttarakhand Leads Nation
Uttarakhand tops ICJS 2.0 national rankings with a score of 93.46, surpassing Haryana (93.41), after achieving 100% eSakshya compliance with 4,672 GPS-tagged cases uploaded using blockchain chain-of-custody. [The Prayas India]
05 — FORENSIC SIGNIFICANCEWhy E-Sakshya Matters for Forensic Science
🔐 Blockchain-Based Chain of Custody
Chain of custody — the documented, unbroken trail of evidence handling — is the bedrock of forensic practice. Any gap renders evidence inadmissible. eSakshya uses blockchain technology to ensure data integrity, with every access and modification logged in an immutable, tamper-proof audit trail. [StudyIQ] These blockchain audit trails directly fulfill chain-of-custody requirements under Section 63(4) of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam. [WhiteBlack Legal Journal] The Criminal Law Blog (NLUJ) cautions that “any lapse or inconsistency in this intricate framework could render climacteric evidence inadmissible in court” — making the blockchain approach both forensically vital and a significant responsibility. [Criminal Law Blog, NLUJ]
🔏 Cryptographic Hash Certification
eSakshya includes cryptographic hash certification to validate the authenticity of electronic evidence. [Kashmir Reader] A hash is a unique mathematical fingerprint of a digital file — if even one byte is altered after collection, the hash value changes completely, immediately revealing tampering. When connectivity is unavailable at a crime scene, officers generate the hash locally before upload, sealing the file's integrity. [UPSCprep] This mirrors the US Federal Rules of Evidence 902(14), which allows self-authentication of digital records through hash value certification. [WhiteBlack Legal]
🧑🔬 Mandatory Forensic Expert Involvement
Under Section 176 of BNSS, the mandatory presence of forensic experts at crime scenes in serious offences is now a legal requirement — described by observers in J&K as “a welcome change, particularly in sensitive investigations.” [Kashmir Reader] eSakshya documents this expert involvement, encouraging formal engagement of Forensic Science Laboratories (FSLs). In support of this mandate, forensic labs across India have hired 2,700 professionals on contract in the first year alone. [The Tribune]
📷 Geo-Tagged, Timestamped Multimedia Evidence
Every recording made through eSakshya is embedded with GPS coordinates and auto-timestamps. [NIC Informatics] Courts receive not just what was documented, but where and when. According to Forensics Digest, this contributes to “reliable evidence supplemented with forensic analysis that ensures stronger cases in court” and “boosts conviction rates by addressing procedural errors and maintaining evidence integrity.” [Forensics Digest] The NIC Informatics magazine further notes that “eSakshya plays a crucial role in ensuring uniformity in investigations across states, which is expected to enhance the conviction rate.” [NIC Informatics]
“Putting a QR code on seized property and messenger details ensures chain of custody. The e-Sakshya data was accessible to courts instantly. With better use of technology, we have got legal sanction to use electronic evidence, forensic tools, CCTNS/ICJS platforms, which have empowered the police and prosecution.” — Chandigarh Police official, on achieving a 91% conviction rate under BNS (June 2025) The Tribune
06 — STATE IMPLEMENTATIONWho Has Adopted E-Sakshya So Far?
As of July 2025, when the new criminal laws completed their first full year, only 7 States and 4 Union Territories had notified the e-Sakshya rules, while 21 states — including Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh — had yet to do so. [The Tribune, Jul 2025] Several opposition-ruled states including Punjab, HP, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, and Telangana also had not shared officer training data with the Ministry of Home Affairs. [The Tribune]
| State / UT | Status | Notable Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| Uttarakhand | Notified ✔ | ICJS 2.0 National Rank #1 · Score 93.46 · 100% compliance · 4,672 cases uploaded [Prayas India] |
| Arunachal Pradesh | Notified ✔ | Among the first states to notify e-Sakshya rules [Tribune] |
| Assam | Notified ✔ | Active adoption in place [Tribune] |
| Chhattisgarh | Notified ✔ | Rules notified; deployment underway |
| Manipur | Notified ✔ | Early adopter state |
| Sikkim | Notified ✔ | Rules notified |
| Tamil Nadu | Notified ✔ | Active digital push; SID packet system for hash-verified evidence [StudyIQ] |
| Tripura | Notified ✔ | Rules notified |
| Delhi (UT) | Notified ✔ | Operational within ICJS |
| J&K (UT) | Notified ✔ | Rules adopted; courts not yet fully ICJS-integrated; NGC evidence not directly accessible by courts [Kashmir Reader] |
| Ladakh (UT) | Notified ✔ | Rules notified and adopted |
| Puducherry (UT) | Notified ✔ | Rules notified |
| Punjab · Haryana · HP | Pending ⏳ | Among 21 states yet to notify e-Sakshya rules as of July 2025 [Tribune] |
07 — CHALLENGESHurdles on the Road to Digital Justice
Despite its promise, eSakshya faces significant real-world implementation challenges that every forensic and criminal justice professional must understand:
⚠️ Challenge 1: Uneven Internet Connectivity
The ICJS is fundamentally a cloud-based, high-speed connectivity project — stable internet is its very foundation. [Criminal Law Blog, NLUJ] States such as Meghalaya, Mizoram, Himachal Pradesh, Tripura, and Nagaland, which have the statistically lowest internet penetration in rural areas, pose a significant challenge to efficient evidence upload. [Criminal Law Blog, NLUJ] Adoption of hybrid cloud systems has been proposed to handle large evidence files even with fluctuating connectivity. [Criminal Law Blog, NLUJ]
⚠️ Challenge 2: Inadequate and Uneven Police Training
Officers at the grassroots level often lack exposure to or confidence in digital tools. [Criminal Law Blog, NLUJ] While over 8.6 lakh police officials have received broad training in the three new criminal laws, no similar dedicated training has been taken concerning the usage and operation of the e-Sakshya Application specifically. [Criminal Law Blog, NLUJ] Police expenditure in India constitutes only about 3% of central and state budgets, severely constraining the technology training capacity at field level. [Criminal Law Blog, NLUJ]
⚠️ Challenge 3: Court Integration Gaps
In several states, courts are not yet fully integrated into ICJS. In J&K, digital evidence stored in NGC through Sakshya Lockers cannot yet be directly accessed by courts. [Kashmir Reader] As of a 2024 ICJS report cited by researchers, only 22% of judges were trained in eSakshya tools. [WhiteBlack Legal Journal] Furthermore, state-level FSL labs must be separately notified under the IT Act before they can certify electronic evidence — a step not yet completed in many states. [Kashmir Reader]
⚠️ Challenge 4: Data Security, Privacy & Admissibility Risk
A case comprises highly sensitive evidence such as witness testimonies, forensic data, and digital documents, necessitating strong firewall and encryption mechanisms. [Criminal Law Blog, NLUJ] Any minor yet material distortion of evidence could do “more harm than good” — “any lapse or inconsistency in this intricate framework could render climacteric evidence inadmissible in court.” [Criminal Law Blog, NLUJ] Privacy-efficiency trade-offs between blockchain's immutable design and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDPA), 2023 also remain largely unexplored in policy. [WhiteBlack Legal]
⚠️ Challenge 5: Fragmented State-Level Rule Notification
With 21 states yet to notify e-Sakshya rules as of mid-2025, evidence collected and managed differently across state boundaries may face complex admissibility challenges in national courts. [The Tribune] Comparative analyses with international standards — such as the US FRE 902(14) and the EU’s e-Evidence Regulation — are absent from India’s current policy planning. [WhiteBlack Legal]
08 — IMPACT SO FARNumbers That Tell the Story
In the first year of the new criminal laws (July 2024 – June 2025), measurable progress has been recorded across the board. [The Tribune, Jul 2025]
35+ Lakh FIRs
More than 35 lakh FIRs registered under BNS provisions from 1 July 2024 to 25 June 2025. [Tribune]
8.6 Lakh+ Officials Trained
8.6 lakh police, 43,000 prison, 10,000 prosecution, 2,000 forensic, and 11,000 judicial officials trained in the three new criminal laws. [Tribune]
2,700 Forensic Professionals Hired
Forensic labs hired 2,700 professionals on contract. Centre provided ₹245 crore to 30 states/UTs for forensic eco-system upgrades and ₹215.66 crore for FSL modernisation. [Tribune]
91% Conviction Rate
Chandigarh reported a 91% conviction rate under BNS — attributed to better digital evidence via eSakshya and ICJS-enabled inter-agency coordination. [Tribune, Jun 2025]
₹344 Crore for Forensic Vans
Mobile forensic vans are being provided to all districts and state FSLs at a total cost of ₹344 crore, bringing lab capabilities directly to crime scenes. [Tribune]
Uttarakhand: ICJS 2.0 Rank #1
100% eSakshya compliance with 4,672 GPS-tagged cases uploaded under Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami’s personal oversight — 23,000+ officials trained. [Prayas India]
09 — GLOBAL CONTEXTHow India Compares Internationally
India is not the first country to embrace digital evidence management — but eSakshya's integration with a national cloud, blockchain audit trails, and mandatory GPS tagging is ambitious by global standards. The Criminal Law Blog (NLUJ) draws a parallel with the EU’s e-CODEX platform, which provides a model for cross-border evidence exchange with “strict access controls and audit trails to maintain chain of custody,” and proposes that India adopt similar advanced encryption protocols and tamper-proof mechanisms. [Criminal Law Blog, NLUJ]
The US Federal Rules of Evidence (FRE) 902(14) allows self-authentication of digital records through hash value certification — a standard eSakshya directly mirrors. [WhiteBlack Legal Journal] A Deloitte report on India’s new criminal laws notes that “the new laws aim to consolidate the traditional provisions and procedures, making them more concise, contemporary, and relevant” — and specifically highlights the immense potential to empower forensic investigation processes under BNS. [Deloitte India Report, 2024]
Researchers note that “future studies must evaluate BNSS timelines in diverse jurisdictions, explore hybrid authentication models, and benchmark global best practices” to bridge the gap between India’s legislative ambition and ground-level implementation. [WhiteBlack Legal] The Bar & Bench notes that while the new laws create a framework for the digital age, “the primary goal is to create a just and fair legal system that is attuned to the digital age and the diverse needs of society” — a goal eSakshya serves as its primary technological vehicle. [Bar & Bench]
📚 Full Source References
- ICJS Official eSakshya Portal — Government of India, MHA / NIC
https://icjs.gov.in/esakshya/ - NIC Informatics Magazine, October 2024
https://informatics.nic.in/files/websites/october-2024/eSakshya.php - PIB — Official Launch of eSakshya by Amit Shah, 4 August 2024
https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2041322 - PIB — New Criminal Laws Come Into Force, July 2024
https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2039055 - StudyIQ — e-Sakshya App: Purpose, Key Features and Challenges
https://www.studyiq.com/articles/e-sakshya-app/ - Forensics Digest — eSakshya App: Revolutionizing Evidence Management
https://forensicsdigest.com/esakshya-app-revolutionizing-evidence-management-in-criminal-justice/ - Free Press Journal — Rajasthan Police & E-Sakshya, July 2024
https://www.freepressjournal.in/india/rajasthan-police... - The Tribune — 21 States Yet to Notify E-Sakshya Rules, July 2025
https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/india/pb-haryana... - The Tribune — Chandigarh 91% Conviction Rate Under BNS, June 2025
https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/india/one-year... - Criminal Law Blog (NLUJ) — E-Sakshya: Streamlining Justice While Adding Complexities, Dec 2024
https://criminallawstudiesnluj.wordpress.com/... - Kashmir Reader — One Year of New Criminal Laws in J&K, July 2025
https://kashmirreader.com/2025/07/03/... - The Prayas India — Uttarakhand Tops ICJS 2.0 Rankings (93.46 Score)
https://theprayasindia.com/uttarakhand-tops-icjs-2-0-rankings-with-93-46-score/ - UPSCprep — What is the eSakshya App?
https://www.upscprep.com/what-is-the-esakshya-app-upsc/ - ForumIAS — eSakshya e-Evidence Mobile Application
https://forumias.com/blog/question/esakshya-e-evidence... - WhiteBlack Legal Journal — Recent Indian Cases Re: Digital Evidence & eSakshya
https://whiteblacklegal.co.in/public/uploads/issues/1642467963.pdf - Wikipedia — Bharatiya Sakshya Act, 2023
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bharatiya_Sakshya_Act,_2023 - Wikipedia — Indian Evidence Act, 1872 (Repealed)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Evidence_Act,_1872 - Google Play Store — eSakshya App by NIC
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nic.esaakshya - Lawgical Search — India's New Criminal Laws 2023: BNS, BNSS & BSA Explained
https://lawgicalsearch.com/indias-new-criminal-laws-2023... - Bar & Bench — Revolutionising Digital Forensics: India's New Legal Frontiers, Jul 2024
https://www.barandbench.com/columns/revolutionizing-digital-forensics... - Deloitte India — New Criminal Laws 2023: A Forensic Lens (Report, 2024)
https://www.deloitte.com/content/dam/assets-zone1/in/en/docs/.../in-st-new-criminal-laws-noexp1.pdf
Tags: #eSakshya #DigitalEvidence #ForensicScience #BNSS #BSA #BNS #CriminalJustice #India #NIC #ICJS #BuddingForensicExpert
