New Delhi (Agency): In an important development, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs in India is scheduled to discuss three groundbreaking bills from September 11 to 13. These bills—Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023; Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023; and Bharatiya Sakshya Bill, 2023—aim to replace the existing Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), and the Indian Evidence Act respectively.
Introduced in the Lower House of Parliament on August 11, these bills signify a significant shift in India’s legal landscape. Home Minister Amit Shah highlighted that the new laws aim to protect the rights granted by the Indian Constitution to its citizens. “The soul of these three new laws will be to protect all the rights given by the Constitution to Indian citizens,” he said.
According to Shah, the laws framed during the British rule were designed to “punish, not to give justice.” He stressed that the new laws will focus on justice, with punishment being meted out only when necessary for crime prevention. This shift is seen as a paradigm change from the punitive focus of British-era laws to a more justice-centric approach.
Amit Shah also informed that these bills have been crafted after extensive consultations and debates. Input was received from 18 states, six Union Territories, the Supreme Court, 16 High Courts, five judicial academies, 22 Law Universities, 142 Members of Parliament, about 270 MLAs, and the general public. Shah himself participated in 158 meetings discussing these laws.
Regarding the specific changes in these bills, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita Bill, intended to replace the CrPC, will now have 533 sections. “A total of 160 sections have been changed, nine new sections have been added, and nine sections have been repealed,” Shah said. The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Bill, aimed at replacing the IPC, will have 356 sections instead of the earlier 511. It will feature 175 amended sections, 8 new sections, and 22 repealed sections. As for the Bharatiya Sakshya Bill, it will replace the Evidence Act with 170 sections, adding one new section and repealing five.
The committee’s discussions on these bills will be a significant step in reforming India’s criminal justice system. The involvement of various stakeholders and extensive consultations reflect the government’s commitment to making these reforms well-rounded and effective.