Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty, Purpose, Nodal Ministry, Latest News

To provide a framework for exchanging information and evidence in criminal investigations.

Various forms of assistance, including taking evidence, serving documents, and executing searches and seizures.

Table of Contents☰

Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty Latest News

Recently, the central government invoked the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty with Singapore over the singer’s death.

It is a mechanism whereby countries cooperate with one another in order to provide and obtain formal assistance in prevention, suppression, investigation and prosecution of crime.
It aims to ensure that the criminals do not escape or sabotage the due process of law for want of evidence available in different countries.
India provides mutual legal assistance in criminal matters through Bilateral Treaties/Agreements, Multilateral Treaties/Agreements or International Conventions or on the basis of assurance of reciprocity.
The Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties (MLATs) in criminal matters are the bilateral treaties entered between the countries for providing international cooperation and assistance.
India has entered into Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties with more than 45 countries.
Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
Common forms of assistance provided to or sought by India are as follows:
- Identifying and locating persons and objects;
- Taking evidence and obtaining statements; assisting in the availability of person in custody or others to give evidence or assist in investigations or appear as a witness;
- Effecting service of judicial documents;
- Executing searches and seizures;
- Providing information, documents, records and other evidentiary items;
- Taking measures to identify, locate, attach, freeze, restrain, confiscate or forfeit the proceeds and [7]instrumentalities of crime;