New Bills introduced in parliament replacing IPC, Cr.PC and Evidence Act

  

               Union minister for Home affairs,  Amit Shah during Monsoon Session in the Lok Sabha introduced three Bills to repeal the British-era Indian Penal Code, the Indian Evidence Act and the Code of Criminal Procedure and requested that the bills be sent to the parliamentary standing committee for home affairs.

            While introducing the Bills, Amit shah said, with the new bills, the government aims to ensure justice, not to punish.

            The Home Minister introduced three bills namely Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Bills, 2023, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) Bills, 2023 and Bharatiya Sakshya (BS) Bills, 2023 that will replace Indian Penal Code, 1860,  Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 and The Indian Evidence Act, 1872 respectively.

            He said the sole object of introducing the new bills are to provide speedy justice and creating a legal system that keeps contemporary needs and aspirations of the people.

        “From 1860 to 2023, the country’s criminal justice system functioned as per the laws made by the British. With these three laws there will be a complete change in the criminal justice system in the country” – he said.

            Shah also spoke of the complete repeal of offence of sedition. He said provision of sedition offence will be completely repealed in the new bills.

            I can assure the House that these bills will transform our criminal justice system – he said.

Some of the important changes that Home minister sought to proposed in the bills are –

“Marrying or making sexual relations with a woman by deception, by giving wrong credentials has been brought in as a separate category of crime,” the Minister said.

            In cases of sexual violence against women, the video-recording of statement of survivors has been made compulsory, Mr. Shah said.

            Videography of search and seizure is being made compulsory and a chargesheet won’t be accepted without it.

            The bills make provision to penalise the offence of mob lynching and the same is punishable with 7 years or life imprisonment or death penalty.