The Central Government introduced three bills in the Lok Sabha today to repeal and replace Indian Penal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and the Indian Evidence Act.
The proposed bills include provisions for the complete abolition of the sedition law and the potential application of capital punishment in instances of mob lynching, depending on the severity of the offense.
The newly proposed legislations—namely the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023, and the Bharatiya Sakshya Bill 2023—have been referred to a parliamentary panel for meticulous examination, according to Shah’s announcement. These bills will subsequently undergo review by a parliamentary standing committee.
Shah emphasised, “From August 16, the road from 75 to 100 years of Independence will begin. The PM had vowed to end the mindset of slavery. We will finish IPC (1857), CrPC (1858), Indian Evidence Act (1872) – which were made by the British. We will bring three new laws in their place to ensure the protection of rights. It will aim to give justice not punishment.”
He further addressed concerns about the apprehensions people have regarding legal processes, stating, “People are afraid of going to courts, they think going to courts itself is a punishment”
The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, designed to supersede the Code of Criminal Procedure, and the Bharatiya Sakshya, intended to replace the Indian Evidence Act, have also been introduced as part of this comprehensive legal reform.
“Under this Bill, we have set the goal that the conviction ratio has to be above 90 per cent. That is why, we have brought an important provision that the Sections which provide for 7 years or a greater jail term, under all those cases forensic team’s visit to the crime scene will be made compulsory,” Shah detailed.
The controversial se dition law (Section 124 A of IPC) is slated for repeal, to be replaced by a new section addressing acts that endanger India’s sovereignty, unity, and integrity (Section 150).
The Centre had in March 2020 constituted a Criminal Law Reforms Committee to make suggestions to revise IPC, CrPC and the Indian Evidence Act 1872. The committee, chaired by Professor Dr. Ranbir Singh, former Vice Chancellor of the National Law University Delhi, and composed of legal experts, was tasked with proposing revisions to the IPC, CrPC, and the Indian Evidence Act of 1872.
