While discussing the three new criminal
law bills in Lok Sabha, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said in the proposed
laws, there will be a provision for the death penalty for the crime of mob
lynching.
Notably, the Bharatiya Nyaya (Second)
Sanhita Bill, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita Bill and the
Bharatiya Sakshya (Second) Bill were passed in Lok Sabha today.
Shah also declared that the Centre has
decided to do away with the sedition law, as he cited how the British had used
it to put Indian freedom fighters in jail.
“The sedition law made by the British,
under which Tilak Maharaj, Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel, and many of our
freedom fighters remained in jail for years and that law continues till date.
For the first time, the Modi government has decided to completely abolish the
sedition law,” he said while speaking in the Lok Sabha.
Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which will
replace the Indian Penal Code, focusses on justice rather than punishment, Amit
Shah stated.
The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Bill, 2023,
the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita Bill, 2023, and the Bharatiya Sakshya
Bill, 2023 were first introduced in Parliament during the Monsoon Session. Shah
tabled the amended versions of the bills during the Winter Session.
AMit Shah’s Key Points
The proposed laws will bring a system to
strengthen police accountability. Details about arrested individuals must now
be recorded at every police station, and a designated police officer will be
responsible for maintaining these records.
The government has made trafficking laws
gender-neutral.
The rape of a girl under 18 years of age
would automatically attract POCSO equivalent provisions under the new laws.
For the first time now, the Narendra Modi
Government is going to explain terrorism, so that no one can take advantage of
its lack.
Accidental death and death due to
negligence have been redefined – if the person runs over someone with a car by
accident – if the driver takes the victim to the hospital, they will face
lighter punishment, but a hit-and-run case will get higher punishment.
In order to ensure timely hearing of
cases, the accused will get seven days to a plea for acquittal. The judge has
to hold the hearing in those seven days and in a maximum time of 120 days, the
case will come to trial.
There was no time limit for plea
bargaining earlier. Now, if one accepts their crime within 30 days of the
crime, then the punishment would be less.
There was no provision to present
documents during trials. It was made compulsory to produce all documents within
30 days. No delays will be made in that.
Under the proposed laws, after a person
files a complaint, an FIR will have to be registered within three days or a
maximum of 14 days.
In cases punishable with punishment
ranging from three to seven years, the preliminary investigation will have to
be completed within 14 days.
That means an FIR will have to be filed
within a maximum of 14 days or three days in cases of shorter punishment.
NE Watch Desk
