The Punjab government has moved to overhaul the province's criminal prosecution oversight mechanism, proposing sweeping changes to the Punjab Criminal Prosecution Service Inspectorate Act 2018 to give the Inspectorate wider powers of inspection, monitoring and scrutiny and place its administration under the Public Prosecution Department.

The Punjab Criminal Prosecution Service Inspectorate (Amendment) Bill 2026, a copy of which is available with Daily Jang, being tabled today in the Punjab Assembly seeks to strengthen the Inspectorate's institutional capacity and introduce a more structured system for monitoring the performance, conduct and prosecutorial work of the Punjab Criminal Prosecution Service.

The proposed legislation, which will come into force immediately after enactment, also envisages inspections at divisional and district levels and gives inspectors explicit authority to requisition official records, obtain attested copies, make copies of documents, seek explanations and demand other relevant information.

A major institutional change proposed by the bill concerns the supervision and administration of the Inspectorate. While its supervision would vest in the government, its administration would vest in the Public Prosecution Department, with both exercised in the prescribed manner, ensuring greater accountability and administrative efficiency across the province.