Centre’s 3 bills to revamp criminal laws: ‘Aim to provide justice, not punish’
The central government introduced three bills in the Lok Sabha on Friday to revamp the Indian Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure and the Indian Evidence Act.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday introduced three bills in the Lok Sabha to overhaul the criminal justice system in the country. The bills seek to replace the Indian Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure and the Indian Evidence Act. With the new bills, the government aims to ensure "justice, not punishment", Amit Shah said while introducing them in the Lok Sabha.
The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, and the Bharatiya Sakshya Bill, 2023 will be sent to a parliamentary panel for further scrutiny, Shah said.
'Focus is to provide justice, not punishment'
Home Minister Shah said, "The focus of the existing laws was to protect and strengthen the British administration, the idea was to punish and not to give justice. By replacing them, the three new laws will bring the spirit to protect the rights of the Indian citizen".
He said the aim of the new bills, "will not be to punish, it will be to provide justice."
"Punishment will be given to create a sentiment of stopping crime," he added.
SEDITION LAW TO BE REPEALED
The Home Minister further announced that the sedition law "has been repealed". The proposed law does not have the word "sedition". It is replaced by Section 150 for acts endangering the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India, Shah said.
Section 150 states: Whoever, purposely or knowingly, by words, either spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or by electronic communication or by use of financial mean, or otherwise, excites or attempts to excite, secession or armed rebellion or subversive activities, or encourages feelings of separatist activities or endangers sovereignty or unity and integrity of India; or indulges in or commits any such act shall be punished with imprisonment for life or with imprisonment which may extend to seven years and shall also be liable to fine.
Amit Shah also announced changes in the punishment for sedition. Under the existing law, sedition is punishable with life imprisonment or with imprisonment which may extend to three years. Provisions under the new bill proposed to change it to three to seven years imprisonment.
CAPITAL PUNISHMENT FOR MOB LYNCHING
Shah also told the Parliament that the Centre will introduce the provision of capital punishment in mob lynching cases.
"When a group of five or more persons acting in concert commits murder on the ground of race, caste or community, sex, place of birth, language, personal belief or any other ground each member of such group shall be punished with death or with imprisonment for life or imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than seven years, and shall also be liable to fine," the new provision states.
CHANGES IN RAPE LAW
The new bills propose changes in punishment for rape. There will be provisions for the death penalty for the rape of minors, the Minister announced in Lok Sabha.
The term 'life imprisonment' has been defined as 'imprisonment for natural life'. "Shall be punished with rigorous imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than ten years, but which may extend to imprisonment for life, which shall mean imprisonment for the remainder of that person’s natural life, and shall also be liable to fine," the new law proposes. It also has provisions for punishment for disclosing the identity of rape survivors.
