Unified Criminal Case Workflow
Live today Our layer Statute
Built on the infrastructure that already runs

One case, assembled as a single line across the systems that already run.

We are not replacing CCTNS, CIS or e-Prisons. They already exchange data through ICJS under "one data, once entry." What's missing is a layer that stitches those federated pieces into a single case story, adds the participants and branches the official pillars leave out, and reads it all against the new criminal codes. This walks the case department by department — marking, at every step, what is live today, what we add, and the law that anchors it.

LiveExists todayCCTNS 2.0 · CIS 4.0 · ICJS 2.0 · e-Prisons · e-Forensics · MedLEaPR · e-Sakshya · FASTER · NSTEP · NALSA
AddOur unified layerCase-ID resolution · lifecycle engine · branch modules · defence node · AI hooks
LawStatutory anchorBNSS & BSA 2023 — in force 01.07.2024; digital is default, not optional
01 The through-line

A Unified Case ID that resolves the keys already in use.

ICJS doesn't mint a single case identity — it lets each pillar keep its own key and searches across them. Our addition is an entity-resolution layer that binds those keys into one persistent ID, so the same matter is one object from FIR to apex court. Biometric keys (NAFIS 10-digit NFN, prison biometric ID) make the resolution far more reliable than name/mobile alone. No pillar gives up its system of record.

Unified Case ID (our layer)UCID·DL·2026·0047712
police FIR No · IIF-1 · CCTNS court CNR No · CIS prison Prison ID · e-Prisons biometric NFN · NAFIS forensic Exhibit Ref · e-Forensics
FIR NoresolveCNR NoresolvePrison ID +NFN biometric · name · mobile · address

ICJS already joins on these identifiers for national search. We persist that resolution as a durable case identity and assemble a read-only timeline over the federated stores — the data stays owned by its origin pillar.

02 The journey, station by station

Follow the case down the line — each desk a stop, each stop legible.

The rail on the left is the whole journey; the active stop tracks as you scroll. Each station shows its workflow steps — tap any step for detail — tagged Live, Add or Law, the data it exchanges, and the AI that assists there, with the human decision it always hands back.

01
Police Station — Intake & Investigation
Informant · Investigating Officer · SHO · arrested accused
CCTNS 2.0e-SakshyaNAFIS
Workflow — tap a step for detail
e-FIR / NCR registration
complaint received, cognizability decided
CCTNSBNSS 173FIR No
Search & seizure (AV)
AV-recorded, geo + time stamped; stored in Sakshya Lockers (NGC)
e-SakshyaBNSS 105
Witness statements & confession
recorded by audio-video means
e-SakshyaBNSS 180/183
Arrest, accused & biometric data
arrest memo; NAFIS enrolment assigns 10-digit NFN
CCTNSNAFISNFN
Charge sheet (police report)
filed via IIF forms; IIF-1 (FIR) + report published to the fabric
CCTNS→ICJSBNSS 193
Mint Unified Case ID
UCID created at FIR, IO completeness checklist
UCIDAI checklist
Contributes to fabric

e-FIR · case diary · AV seizure & statements · arrest data · charge sheet

Consumes from fabric

court orders · summons/warrant status · custody & prison data

AI Assist6 ways AI can helpassistive only — every output is reviewed; the decision stays human
Narration → register routingtranscribe, extract who/what/when/where, build chronology; draft GD then FIR/NCR
Extract
Cognizability & section suggestionfacts → cognizable/non-cognizable + likely BNS sections (advisory)
Classify
Charge-sheet completeness checkflags missing recovery memo, ballistic (Arms Act), 164 statements
Classify
Case-diary draftingfield inputs assembled into a structured diary entry to verify
Generate
Accused & antecedent lookupprior FIRs, modus, NDSO/NAFIS matches on named persons
Retrieve
Translation & e-Sakshya assistany-language intake; AV auto-tagged, missing geo/timestamp flagged
Summarise

Human gate: whether to register, FIR vs NCR for the record, and whom to arrest — the officer decides; AI only drafts and proposes.

02
Forensic Science Laboratory & Medico-Legal
FSL examiner · ballistic / DNA / chemical / digital experts · medical officer
e-Forensics 2.0MedLEaPR
Workflow — tap a step for detail
Exhibit registration & chain-of-custody
QR/barcode tracking, PKI scanning (e-Forensics 2.0)
e-Forensics 2.0Exhibit Ref
Lab reports — ballistic · DNA · chemical · digital
each bound to the exhibit examined
e-ForensicsBSA 57
Medico-legal & post-mortem reports
MLC + PM reports feed to police via CCTNS
MedLEaPRBNSS 194
Bind report → exhibit → UCID
mandatory-report tracker (e.g. ballistic in Arms Act)
UCID linkturnaround alert
Contributes to fabric

exhibit registration · forensic reports with custody references

Consumes from fabric

case linkage · sealed exhibits · examination directions

AI Assist4 ways AI can helpassistive only — every output is reviewed; the decision stays human
Turnaround & triageprioritise exhibits, flag mandatory-but-missing reports vs deadlines
Classify
Language / summarisationtechnical findings rendered readable for non-expert IO/court
Summarise
Consistency checkdoes the ballistic conclusion match the exhibit chain; flag breaks
Classify
Report drafting assistanceroutine report sections structured from instrument data
Generate

Human gate: the scientific finding — the match, the cause of death — is the expert’s, never the model’s.

03
Prosecution
Public Prosecutor · trial-readiness desk
e-Prosecution
Workflow — tap a step for detail
Case vetting & opinion on charge sheet
scrutiny before/along with filing
e-Prosecution
Trial-readiness tracking
witness availability, evidence status
e-Prosecution
File / oppose applications
bail, cancellation, interim reliefs — to the tracker
Applications tracker
Contributes to fabric

prosecutor case tracking · trial-readiness status · applications

Consumes from fabric

court schedule · charge-sheet & evidence data

AI Assist4 ways AI can helpassistive only — every output is reviewed; the decision stays human
Trial-readiness scoringwitnesses available? evidence complete? sanction obtained?
Classify
Brief / opening summarisationcase file condensed into a fact-and-issue brief
Summarise
Precedent retrievalon-point authorities for the offences & issues raised
Retrieve
Defect-spottinggaps in the police file likely exploited at trial
Classify

Human gate: charging strategy — what to press, what to withdraw — is the prosecutor’s judgment.

04
Magistrate Court — Cognizance & Committal
Magistrate · court registry / process server
CIS 4.0e-FilingNSTEPe-Summon
Workflow — tap a step for detail
Consume FIR / Consume Charge Sheet
real-time cursor pull from CCTNS 2.0 via ICJS module in CIS 4.0
ICJS 2.0 in CIS
Cognizance & CNR assignment
court system-of-record begins, CNR number issued
CISCNR No
Bind FIR No ↔ CNR No
the entity-resolution moment — police record meets court record
UCID resolve
Summons / warrant — issue, serve, track
electronic service & status (NSTEP + e-Summon)
NSTEPe-SummonBNSS 530
Remand & bail orders · committal to Sessions
orders visible to prison & prosecution via fabric
CIS
Contributes to fabric

cognizance · orders · summons/warrants · case status · CNR

Consumes from fabric

FIR & charge-sheet metadata + PDFs · custody history · applications

AI Assist6 ways AI can helpassistive only — every output is reviewed; the decision stays human
E-filing assistantauto-fill from prior records; format/defect check against rules
Extract
Scrutiny automationlimitation, court-fee, annexure completeness
Classify
Auto case-categorisationcase type, act & section codes to the right register
Classify
Deduplicationis this matter — or a connected one — already pending elsewhere
Retrieve
Smart cause-list draftinggroup related matters, sequence the board, balance load
Generate
Urgency & conflict flaggingcustody deadlines, expiring stays, bench/advocate clashes; time estimates
Classify

Human gate: accepting/returning a filing and final listing priority are registry/judicial orders — AI prepares only.

05
Prison — Custody & Production
Jail Superintendent · custody & biometrics desk
e-PrisonsFASTERVC link
Workflow — tap a step for detail
Custody intake — prisoner ID & biometrics
on remand/conviction warrant; pan-India biometric search
e-PrisonsPrison ID
Bail / release order received direct
court → jail electronic transmission, no paper relay
FASTERclosed loop
Production via video conferencing
in-custody accused appears remotely
VCBNSS 308/310
e-Mulaqat — family / counsel visit
scheduled video visitation
e-Mulaqat
Continuous custody timeline
police → judicial → post-conviction, stitched across stages
Custody timeline
Contributes to fabric

prisoner ID · custody records · biometrics · e-Mulaqat logs

Consumes from fabric

production warrants · remand / bail orders

AI Assist3 ways AI can helpassistive only — every output is reviewed; the decision stays human
Custody-deadline & release flaggingremand expiry, undertrial limits, FASTER release pending
Classify
Production & e-Mulaqat schedulingVC production slots & visit requests drafted against the cause list
Generate
Pan-India prisoner search assistbiometric/ID match to locate a person across e-Prisons via ICJS
Retrieve

Human gate: release, custody and visit decisions follow the court order & jail authority — AI flags and schedules only.

06
Sessions / Trial Court — Adjudication
Judge · Public Prosecutor · Defence · witnesses · accused
CIS 4.0Nyaya ShrutiVC
Workflow — tap a step for detail
Charge framing / discharge
prima-facie decision, charge read via AV
CISBNSS 251
Evidence — examination, cross, re-exam
witness evidence recorded by audio-video
Nyaya ShrutiBNSS 254/265
Remote witness / in-custody accused
court ↔ prison video binding
VCBNSS 308/310
Accused statement (S.351) & arguments
defence statement on the evidence
CISBSA evidence
Judgment & sentence
in-custody accused may hear via AV
CISBNSS 392(5)
Assembled case story for the bench
full FIR-to-now record, one timeline
UCID viewdefence access
Contributes to fabric

charge · depositions · accused statement · judgment · sentence

Consumes from fabric

entire record — documents, forensics, testimony, custody, applications

AI Assist6 ways AI can helpassistive only — every output is reviewed; the decision stays human
Case-file summarisationa reliable digest of a voluminous file for the bench
Summarise
Status, record & precedentplain-language: custody status, next date, pending IAs, who deposed what; precedent pull
Retrieve
Timeline assemblycase chronology built across forums from FIR to this hearing
Extract
Proceedings transcriptionNyaya Shruti-style AV depositions transcribed to searchable text
Summarise
Draft-order templatesskeletons for routine orders — the decision & operative part stay the judge’s
Generate
Defect & deadline flagsmissing-evidence, Sec 313 omission risk, custody/limitation deadlines
Classify

Hard wall: no AI surface recommends conviction, acquittal, bail or sentence. The copilot fetches and organises; the judge reasons and decides.

07
High Court — Appeal & Revision
Appellant · State · Bench
CIS v1.0NJDGVC
Workflow — tap a step for detail
Appeal / revision e-filing
grounds & counter, 24/7 intake
e-Filing 3.0
Interim bail · stay · death confirmation
orders update custody state instantly
CIStimeline sync
Appellate judgment
affirm · modify · acquit · remand
CISJudgment portal
Contributes to fabric

appeal/revision orders · interim relief · confirmation · remand

Consumes from fabric

trial record via CIS/NJDG · custody timeline · order ledger

AI Assist4 ways AI can helpassistive only — every output is reviewed; the decision stays human
Auto-assemble the recordordered record stitched across forums for the appeal
Extract
Research depthSUPACE-style fact-extraction & precedent mapping for the grounds
Retrieve
Judgment summary & translationimpugned judgment condensed; orders in the regional language (SUVAS)
Summarise
Headnote / template draftingheadnotes & procedural recitals drafted for the bench to approve
Generate

Hard wall: the appellate outcome — affirm, modify, acquit, remand — is the bench’s. AI assembles and researches only.

08
Supreme Court — Apex
Petitioner · State · Bench
SC-eFMe-SCRSUPACESUVAS
Workflow — tap a step for detail
SLP / appeal — e-filing & admission
discretionary leave, interim relief
SC-eFM 3.0
Hearing — research & translation assist
case analysis & multilingual orders
SUPACESUVAS
Final judgment · precedent · review/curative
reported in e-SCR with neutral citation
e-SCRprecedent tagging
Release order direct to jail
bail/acquittal transmitted electronically, same day
FASTER
Contributes to fabric

SLP outcome · final judgment · binding precedent

Consumes from fabric

complete lifecycle record — FIR to HC order

AI Assist4 ways AI can helpassistive only — every output is reviewed; the decision stays human
Fact-extraction & researchSUPACE-style extraction and precedent mapping — assistive, experimental
Retrieve
Transcript generation & translationConstitution-bench transcripts; SUVAS multilingual orders
Summarise
Headnote & neutral-citation draftingreportable headnotes; vendor-neutral citation for e-SCR
Generate
Precedent taggingruling tagged to its legal issue to surface in future matters
Classify

Hard wall: the merits are the Court’s alone. AI never proposes how a matter should be decided.

09
Defence & Legal Aid — connecting an existing-but-unwired stack
Accused · defence counsel · LADC · victim/complainant (scoped view)
∥ parallel track — joins the line
NALSALADCSeCourts appcase fabric link
Workflow — tap a step for detail
Legal-aid application & assignment
NALSA portal → LSAMS/LACMS → LADC counsel allotted
NALSA · LADCS
Lawful read-access to the case
opens at charge-sheet supply stage onward
eCourts portalscoped access
File applications & track status
bail, quashing, revision — into the tracker
Applications tracker
Assisted access for low digital literacy
kiosk channel so no party is shut out
e-Sewa Kendra
Contributes to fabric

legal-aid case data · applications · vakalatnama · documents (scoped)

Consumes from fabric

case status · orders · cause list · supplied charge-sheet

AI Assist4 ways AI can helpassistive only — every output is reviewed; the decision stays human
Plain-language case explainerstatus, next steps & orders explained to the litigant in their language
Summarise
Eligibility & precedent lookupmatch to NALSA criteria; pull authorities for the defence
Retrieve
Document & charge-sheet summarisationsupplied record condensed for the counsel
Summarise
Application drafting assistbail/quashing/revision drafts prepared for counsel to finalise
Generate

Human gate: defence strategy and what to file are counsel’s decisions — AI explains, retrieves and drafts only.

03 The AI layer, in one frame

The same assistive features, read as five modes — and one wall.

Every AI touchpoint inline above is one of five modes, in rising order of risk. The matrix maps where each vertical uses them. The sixth mode — deciding the merits — is barred everywhere.

The five ways AI is used — every tag below is one of these
Extract01

Speech-to-text, entity/event extraction, structuring a narration or document into fields.

Retrieve02

Semantic search over precedent, prior orders, antecedents and the case record.

Summarise03

Condensing files, judgments, depositions; translating across Indian languages.

Generate04

Drafting register entries, notices, lists, order skeletons — always human-approved.

Classify05

Categorisation, defect detection, anomaly & deadline flagging. Advisory signals only.

Mode 06 — barred everywhere:recommendation on the merits (bail / sentence / verdict). Never built, at any vertical.
AI capability by vertical × mode — cell shows how many features use that mode
VerticalExtractRetrieveSummariseGenerateClassifyDecide merits
Police11112
Forensics112
Prosecution112
Magistrate1113
Prison111
Trial11211
High Court1111
Supreme Court1111
Defence121
Unified / cross-cutting1112
Unified / Cross-cutting — the platform’s real edge5 waysICJS 2.0UCID
Entity resolutionstitch FIR ↔ CNR ↔ Prison ID ↔ NFN + name/mobile into one identity
Extract
Status-query in natural language"where is this case stuck?" answered across forums
Retrieve
Anomaly / defect flaggingchain-of-custody gaps, missing mandatory reports, expiring custody deadlines
Classify
Delay & pendency analyticswhere matters stall — administrative insight, not case-level
Classify
Notification & queue intelligenceright alert to the right desk on stage-completion or deadline
Generate

Hard wall: no outcome prediction or risk score that could shape a bail, sentence or verdict. Analytics inform administration, never the merits.

04 How the handoff actually works

The exchange already runs. We wrap it, we don't replace it.

The left column is the live ICJS handshake between police and court. The right is the thin layer we add on top — assembling, resolving and tracking — without touching the pillars' systems of record.

Live · ICJS "Consume" handshake

What CIS does today to pull police data — a federated, cursor-based exchange.

  1. Police publish FIR & charge sheet in CCTNS as PDF + metadata.
  2. Master codes (Act, Police Station, District) reconciled on both sides.
  3. Court runs Consume FIR / Consume Charge Sheet from the ICJS module in CIS.
  4. Pull advances from the last FIR-number / charge-sheet timestamp marker.
  5. Ownership stays with police; CIS holds a consumed copy keyed to the case.

Add · our assembly & resolution layer

A read/orchestrate layer that sits over the same APIs — no new system of record.

  1. Resolve FIR No ↔ CNR No ↔ Prison ID into one persistent UCID.
  2. Assemble a single case timeline over the federated stores (read-only).
  3. Run the lifecycle state-machine: stage, branch, custody, deadlines.
  4. Open scoped access to defence/litigant — the pillar ICJS omits.
  5. Expose per-step AI hooks — assistive only, per the 2026 rules (box below).
05 Branch lines

Side-tracks the official pillars don't model, kept off the main line.

Interim applications, collateral remedies and offence-specific overlays don't sit in the linear flow — they reference the UCID and surface wherever relevant. This is squarely our layer, built over the live order & case data.

Interim · Add

Interim Applications

Filed and decided mid-stream; each resolves to an order on the live ledger and can flip custody state at once.

  • Anticipatory & regular bail · modification · cancellation
  • Evidence reopening · witness recall · supplementary FSL
  • Bail / stay pending appeal & pending SLP
Attaches: any stage → writes to the order ledger (CIS) · tracked in our Applications register
Collateral · Add

Collateral Remedies

Parallel challenges that can pause or end the matter from outside the main flow.

  • Quashing — pre-FIR to post-conviction
  • Criminal revision · habeas corpus · writ petitions
  • Mercy · commutation · pardon
Attaches: any forum → may close, stay or remand · UCID keeps the linkage
Special · Add

Offence Overlays

Rules that switch on extra obligations & protections automatically from the metadata.

  • Arms Act — mandatory ballistic · recovery-memo lock
  • Rape / POCSO — in-camera · video testimony · medical exam
  • Dowry death — burden shift · economic — ED/CBI parallel
Attaches: at registration → adjusts checklists, access & mandatory-report tracking
06 The honest split

What we stand on, and what we actually build.

Everything on the left is already running and statutorily mandated. Everything on the right is the application layer we add over it — buildable without changing any pillar's infrastructure.

Already live — we build on it

ICJS 2.0 · e-Courts · BNSS/BSA mandate
Federated pillar systems — CCTNS 2.0, CIS 4.0, e-Prisons, e-Forensics, e-Prosecution keep their own records.
ICJS 2.0 exchange — one-data-once-entry, Consume FIR/charge sheet (IIF-1), Data Sharing Matrix.
Closed-loop order delivery — FASTER already sends bail/release orders court→jail. The pattern to copy.
Evidence, medical & service — e-Sakshya (+NGC lockers), MedLEaPR, NyayaShruti, NSTEP, VC, NAFIS.
A defence stack — NALSA, LSAMS, LACMS, LADCS exist already; just not joined to the case.

Our unified layer — what we ship

Read · assemble · track · open up
Unified Case ID — persistent resolution across FIR/CNR/Prison-ID + NFN biometric keys.
Assembled case timeline — one FIR-to-apex story over federated stores.
Lifecycle & branch engine — stages, interim/collateral/special tracks, custody continuum.
Defence wiring — connect the existing NALSA/LADCS stack into the case fabric, scoped & lawful.
AI hooks (last) — assistive only, governed by the 2026 AI Regulations (see box below).
07 The legal anchor

Why digital is the default, not a feature.

The new codes don't just permit this workflow — they specify the evidence objects it must capture and the integrity it must prove.

BNSS 530
All trials, inquiries & proceedings — including summons/warrant issue, service & witness exam — may be electronic. The cover for a digital-native workflow.
BNSS 173
FIR may be registered electronically (e-FIR). The intake pillar must accept and timestamp it.
BNSS 105
Search & seizure recorded by audio-video — capture, hash & chain-of-custody at the point of seizure.
BNSS 180/183
AV recording of witness statements and confessions — structured AV objects linked to case, officer & place.
BNSS 308/310
Evidence in presence of the accused, including via AV at a notified place — the court↔prison VC binding.
BNSS 356
Trial in absentia for proclaimed offenders after 90 days — the case-state machine must model the absconder track.
BNSS 392(5)
In-custody accused may hear the judgment by audio-video — judgment delivery supports remote participation.
BSA 57
An electronic record from proper custody is primary evidence — making verifiable chain-of-custody a core requirement, not an option.
08 Kept deliberately separate

The AI layer is governed by its own rulebook — and constrained.

This is intentionally not folded into the workflow above. The AI hooks are a later, optional layer, and they sit under a hard legal boundary that shapes what they are allowed to be. Treat this box as the governing constraint on everything tagged "AI" elsewhere.

Governance

Draft AI Regulations for Courts, 2026

released 03.06.2026

The Supreme Court's first AI framework permits AI for assistive tasks only and bars it outright from the decisional core — adjudication, bail and sentencing. For this system that draws a clean line down the middle of the AI layer: assistance is allowed, decision-making is not.

Permitted — assistive only

  • IO investigation & charge-sheet completeness checklists
  • FSL turnaround & mandatory-report alerts
  • Precedent search & case-analysis (SUPACE-style)
  • Translation of orders/judgments (SUVAS-style)
  • Document summarisation, defect & deadline flagging
  • Cause-list / scheduling drafting support

Barred — the decisional core

  • Deciding or recommending the verdict (adjudication)
  • Granting, refusing or setting bail
  • Determining or proposing the sentence
  • Any output that substitutes for judicial reasoning
  • Auto-decisioning on a person's liberty
What this changes in the build
  • AI hooks become non-decisional by design. Every "AI" tag in the lanes is a checklist, search, summary or flag — never an output the bench acts on as a decision.
  • A hard wall around bail/sentence/verdict steps. The Magistrate remand/bail step, the HC interim-bail step and the trial judgment/sentence steps get no AI recommendation surface — only retrieval (precedent, prior orders) the human reads.
  • Human-in-the-loop is mandatory, logged, and attributable. Every AI output is advisory, marked as AI-generated, and the human decision is recorded separately in the audit trail.
  • Phasing follows the rules. Administrative/assistive functions first; adjudicatory functions never automated. The AI layer ships last, on clean data, so its absence never blocks the core system.
  • Governance metadata travels with the case. Which AI tool touched which artifact, when, and with what disclaimer — captured against the UCID, so the AI's role is always auditable.