BJP aims to get the new Criminal Laws Bill passed in the upcoming Winter Session of the Parliament.

The country can expect getting a new set of Criminal Laws that will be replacing the colonial-era remnants in the form of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and the Indian Evidence Act. A former police officer and currently BJP’s Rajya Sabha MP Brij Lal is heading the Standing Committee on Home Affairs that is scheduled to meet on 24 August to discuss the proposed laws. MP Brij Lal served as the chief of UP Police between 2011-12. The committee is tasked with examining the bills and to submit its report before the start of the Winter Session of the Parliament, which usually starts and ends in December. The Central government is aiming to get the bills passed in the Parliament after a discussion during the Winter Session.

Recently, Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankar had referred the proposed laws that are said to be demolishing the footprints of the British-era to the Standing Committee on Home Affairs to examine and submit its report within three months.

In order to further expedite the process, the meetings can now be held frequently. Sources say that there’s even a possibility of holding daily meetings if the need arises.

The newly proposed criminal bills namely the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya Bill were introduced in the Lok Sabha by Home Minister Amit Shah on 11 August, 2023. Once passed, they will replace the IPC, CrPC and the Indian Evidence Act respectively giving a complete overhaul to the currently existing criminal laws in India.

What are the changes proposed in the Bill?

Home Minister Amit Shah had announced in the Lok Sabha that the sedition law has been repealed. The word “sedition” has been removed from the proposed law and is replaced with Section 150, which criminalises acts which can endanger the sovereignty, unity, and integrity of India. The current law on sedition carries a penalty of up to 3 years in prison or even life imprisonment. The new provision increases the maximum penalty to 7 years. The Home Minister announced in the Parliament that the government will introduce the death penalty for mob lynching cases, depending on the severity of the crime. The death sentence has been retained in these newly proposed bills.

The new bills prioritise laws particularly protecting women and children, punish murderers, and deter those who would harm the state. Under these proposed laws, bribing voters during elections is also a punishable offense with an imprisonment of up to 1 year.

For the first time ever in India, community service is a new non-custodial punishment that will be available as a punishment for petty offenses. The proposed laws have also made an effort to make the offences gender-neutral in order to ensure that everyone is protected from crime, regardless of their sexual orientation. In order to deal with terrorism and organised crime more effectively and efficiently, new offences have been created with severe penalties.

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