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Relevance: GS-II Governance & Rights · GS-III Tech in Policing & Internal Security Source: Abhigyan app launch, June 2026

1 · What happened

On 19 June 2026, Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched the Abhigyan app, built by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). With a handheld scanner, a police officer can now take a person’s thumb impression on the street and pull up their full criminal history on a phone in about 35 seconds.

It connects to a national fingerprint database of about 1.29 crore accused persons and convicts. The promise is faster policing; the worry is what it means for ordinary citizens’ privacy.

2 · How it works

Think of it as an app + a database. Abhigyan is the mobile app on the officer’s phone. Behind it sits NAFIS (the National Automated Fingerprint Identification System) — NCRB’s central store of fingerprints of accused persons, convicts and prisoners. The app simply lets officers tap into NAFIS from anywhere.
  • The big shift: earlier, prints could only be matched at fixed terminals in police stations. Now the check moves to the field, secured with two-step login.
  • What it covers: the database also holds specialised records (such as narcotics and human-trafficking offenders) and prison logs — though Shah noted NAFIS is still used at only about 10% of its potential.

3 · The promise and the problem

The gain
Speed & reach
Instant identification anywhere helps catch repeat offenders and fugitives who hide by moving across states or changing their appearance.
The basis
The law behind it
The Criminal Procedure (Identification) Act, 2022 is the legal foundation. It replaced the old Identification of Prisoners Act, 1920.
The limit
Only for the accused
Section 3 of the Act allows taking fingerprints only from those arrested, convicted, or ordered to keep the peace — not from everyone.
The gap
Random street checks?
The Act does not clearly allow scanning random citizens during routine stops. Doing so risks arbitrary checks and harassment.

4 · The constitutional lens

  • Right to privacy: in K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India (2017), the Supreme Court made privacy a fundamental right under Article 21. Any data collection must pass a three-part test — legality (a clear law), need (a genuine state aim), and proportionality (the least intrusive method).
  • Self-incrimination: Article 20(3) protects you from being forced to witness against yourself. But in Kathi Kalu Oghad (1961), the Court held that giving fingerprints is not “witnessing against oneself” — so it does not violate Article 20(3).

UPSC Value Box
Abhigyan app NCRB mobile app (launched 19 June 2026) for field fingerprint checks against NAFIS in ~35 seconds.
NAFIS National Automated Fingerprint Identification System; NCRB’s central fingerprint database (~1.29 crore records).
NCRB National Crime Records Bureau; under the MHA; runs NAFIS and CCTNS (crime-tracking network).
CrPI Act, 2022 Criminal Procedure (Identification) Act; allows collecting measurements of arrested/convicted persons. Replaced the 1920 Act.
Puttaswamy (2017) Made privacy a fundamental right (Art 21); set the legality–need–proportionality test.
Article 20(3) Protection against self-incrimination; fingerprints held not to violate it (Kathi Kalu Oghad, 1961).
Proportionality A state measure should use the least intrusive means needed to achieve its aim.

MCQ Practice Question
Q. With reference to the legal and constitutional framework for biometric identification in India, consider the following statements:

  1. The Criminal Procedure (Identification) Act, 2022 allows the collection of measurements such as fingerprints from arrested or convicted persons.
  2. In K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India (2017), the Supreme Court recognised the right to privacy as a fundamental right.
  3. The Supreme Court has held that compelling a person to give fingerprints violates the right against self-incrimination under Article 20(3).

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only    (b) 2 and 3 only    (c) 1 and 3 only    (d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (a) 1 and 2 only

  • Statement 1 — Correct: The CrPI Act, 2022 permits collecting fingerprints and other measurements from arrested or convicted persons.
  • Statement 2 — Correct: Puttaswamy (2017) recognised privacy as a fundamental right under Article 21.
  • Statement 3 — Incorrect (the trap): In Kathi Kalu Oghad (1961), the Court held the opposite — giving fingerprints is not being a “witness against oneself,” so it does not violate Article 20(3).
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