Nithyakalyani Narayanan. V
The Central Government introduced three bills in the Lok Sabha on 11th August to repeal and replace the “19th-century laws” of the Indian Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure and the Indian Evidence Act. Union Home Minister Amit Shah introduced the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (to consolidate and amend the provisions relating to offences and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto), the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (to consolidate and amend the law relating to the criminal procedure and matters connected therewith or incidental thereto) and the Bharatiya Sakshya Bill, 2023 (to consolidate and provide general rules and principles of evidence for fair trial).
Amit Shah remarked in the Lok Sabha “From 1860 to 2023, the country’s criminal justice system functioned as per the laws made by the British. The three laws will be replaced and there will be a major change in the criminal justice system in the country…”
He said that the provision of sedition offences will be entirely repealed in the new bill that replaces IPC and will introduce a provision for capital punishment for mob lynching cases.
These bills were listed for introduction in the supplementary list of business. After the three Bills were introduced, they were referred to the Standing Committee on Home Affairs.
In March 2020, the Union Government had constituted a Criminal Law Reforms Committee to make suggestions to revise the IPC, CrPC and IEA. The Committee was headed by Dr Ranbir Singh, the then Vice Chancellor of NLU Delhi along with Professor Dr GS Bajpai, the then Registrar of NLU Delhi, Dr Balraj Chauhan, the VC of Dharmashastra NLU, Senior Advocate Mahesh Jethmalani and GP Thareja, the former District and Sessions Judge, Delhi.
In February 2022, the Committee submitted a report to the Government, after taking suggestions and recommendations from the public. In April 2022, the Law Ministry informed the Rajya Sabha that the Government has undertaken a process of a comprehensive review of the criminal laws. In 2022, the Home Minister had announced that the Government will soon introduce new drafts for IPC, CrPC and Evidence Act.
Click here to access Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
Click here to access Bharatiya Sakshya Bill, 2023.
Click here to access Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023.
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