The Union Home Ministry announced on Friday that three new criminal laws, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, will replace the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), and the Indian Evidence Act respectively. These new laws are set to come into effect from July 1 this year.
The ministry issued a gazette notification to this effect, marking a significant overhaul of India’s criminal justice system. However, Sub Section (2) of Section 106 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which pertains to ‘causing death of a person by rash and negligent driving of a vehicle’, has been temporarily put on hold due to widespread protests.
The contentious provision, which proposed to increase the maximum prison sentence to ten years for those involved in such offences who flee the scene of the crime, has sparked controversy across the country.
The three bills were first introduced in the Lok Sabha on August 11, 2023, before being referred to a parliamentary committee headed by Brij Lal for further examination. After thorough scrutiny, the bills were passed by the Lok Sabha on December 20 and subsequently by the Rajya Sabha on December 21.
The President of India gave his assent to these bills in December 2023, a development that was notified on the official website of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. This marks a significant step in the reform of India’s criminal justice system, with the new laws expected to bring about substantial changes.
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