New bills for holistic revamp of criminal laws, sedition out

End of the road for colonial era laws as govt tables 3 bills in LS to replace IPC, CrPC and Evidence Act; to be vetted by House panel

- AMIT MUKHERJEE

COLONIAL era criminal laws, including that on sedition, headed straight for the shredder on Friday as the Centre announced their complete overhaul through three bills tabled in the Lok Sabha. They will be referred to a parliamentary committee for vetting.

Introducing the bills that replace the Indian Penal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Indian Evidence Act, Union home minister Amit Shah said Section 124A (sedition) will be completely repealed but Section 150 that punishes “acts endangering sovereignty, unity and integrity of India” will stay.

Shah said the objective of the existing bills was to punish people rather than providing justice. Their replacements — The Bharitya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, the Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita 2023 and the Bharatiya Sakshya Bill, 2023 — will completely transform India’s criminal justice system, he added.

Some of their salient features are maximum punishment for crimes like mob lynching and rape of minors. Besides, marrying a woman by concealing identity or having sexual relationship under false promise of marriage, promotion or employment will attract up to 10-year imprisonment.