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Rules for criminal justice reforms gets Cabinet nod

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Govt scraps personal interviews for Group D posts

By Our Reporter

SHILLONG, July 10: The Meghalaya Cabinet on Thursday approved three key Rules, aimed at enhancing efficiency, accountability and reformative capacity of the state’s criminal justice system. At the same time, the Cabinet also discontinued personal interviews for all Group D posts in the state.
The three Rules cleared by the Cabinet are Meghalaya e-Shakshya Management Rules, 2025; Meghalaya Electronic Processes Issuance, Service and Execution Rules, 2025; and Meghalaya Guidelines for Community Services, 2025.
They form part of the larger effort to implement the new criminal laws enacted by the Centre.
Taking to social media, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma wrote, “In order to implement and enforce the three new Criminal Laws as mandated by the MHA, GoI and consented by the High Court of Meghalaya namely, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA), Cabinet today approved three new Rules.”
On the Meghalaya e-Sakshya Management Rules, 2025, he stated, “This will ensure all evidence collected in electronic format are securely uploaded on the mobile application called e-Sakshya, secured by a 16-digit code, linked to the CCTNS & ICJS systems. This will ensure that the evidence collected is secure, tamper-proof for trial of cases.”
On Meghalaya Electronic Processes, Issuance, Service, and Execution Rules 2025 framed under section 64 of BNSS, he said this reform will ensure that summons, given to people to appear in court through the court system or the police, are done in the electronic format or e-summons.
Sangma also said that through Meghalaya Guidelines for Community Services 2025, the courts can now sentence individuals, convicted of petty offences, to community service, such as assisting in hospital maintenance, organising books in government libraries, cleaning classrooms in public schools, supporting municipal cleaning efforts, or participating in forest department activities like tree plantation and weed removal.
Commissioner and Secretary of Home Department, Cyril VD Diengdoh, elaborated on the Meghalaya Guidelines for Community Services, 2025, which introduces community service as an alternative sentence for individuals convicted of minor offences.
Describing it as a reformative measure, he said it moves beyond conventional penalties like imprisonment or fines.
“This is also a reformative measure, as we know that when a person commits a crime and is convicted, usual punishment is either imprisonment or a fine. This is bringing a new type of punishment which is called community service, which means that for petty offences or minor offences, the courts can sentence a convict to community services,” he explained.
The Cabinet also approved the discontinuation of interview for Group D posts.
“The discontinuation is in line with our aim to ensure transparency in the recruitment process and is in conformity with the GoI guidelines issued by the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT), Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions,” Sangma said.
Reacting to the decision, the Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) said it is partially satisfied.
KHNAM working president Thomas Passah stated that the party has been persistent in its demands to eliminate personal interviews for recruitment in government jobs for Group B, Group C, and Group D posts and that they had written several memorandums to the government in this regard. Passah said they expect the state government to consider abolishing personal interviews for Group C posts.
The KHNAM working president also stated that the state government has not followed the central government guidelines totality and added that the party would write to the government and the Ministry of Personnel on the subject, to ensure complete transparency in job recruitment in Meghalaya.

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