Updated on Feb 24, at 3.45 p.m.

The three amended criminal bills which received parliamentary and president’s sanction last year - the Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita, 2023; the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita, 2023; and the Bharatiya Sakshya (Second) (BSB) 2023 - are to be implemented from July 1 this year, the home ministry notified today.

Updated on Dec 25, 2023, at 8 p.m.

With the president Droupadi Murmu's assent, the Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita, Bharatiya Sakshya (Second) Sanhita will respectively replace Indian Penal Code (IPC), Code of Criminal Procedure, and the Indian Evidence Act.

Updated on Dec 21, 2023, at 1.20 p.m.

The Lok Sabha (LS) on Dec 20 passed three amended criminal bills - Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita, 2023; Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita, 2023; and Bharatiya Sakshya (Second) (BSB) 2023.

The three Bills were passed after Home Minister Amit Shah spoke in the House and majority of MPs present in the Lower House voted in favour of the bills by voice vote. Now the bill will be presented in the Rajya Sabha for debate and discussion.

The proceedings took place in the absence of 97 Opposition MPs, who have been suspended over “misconduct” and “unruly” behaviour since last week.

“A provision for Trial in Absentia has been introduced. Those people are hiding in other countries and trials are not underway,” Shah said while introducing the bills.

“They don’t need to come here now. If they don’t appear before the court within 90 days then in their absence trial will go on. A public prosecutor will be appointed for their prosecution. They will be hanged. It will make the process to bring them back since it changes their status in the other country when they get prosecuted,” he added.

He further said after the bill becomes law, the case would have to be brought to trial in 120 days.

He also said that there was no provision to present documents during trials. “We have made it compulsory to produce all documents within 30 days. No delays will be made in that,” he said.

The new laws also explain “organised crime for the first time”. Shah added, “There was no special law for this. We have included cyber crimes, economic crimes, land grabbing, arms trade, dacoity, human trafficking.”

Shah said the new laws are “gender-neutral”, “victim-centric” and “justice-centric”, rather than “punishment-centric”.

He also said that under the new criminal laws, the government has included a provision of death penalty for those committing the crime of mob lynching.

Updated on Dec 12, 2023, at 6.30 p.m.

Union home minister Amit Shah today withdrew three Bills to replace criminal laws from the Lok Sabha and bring new legislations with suggestions of a parliamentary panel.

Shah tabled three bills: the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023, the Bharatiya Sakshya Bill 2023, and the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023.

The previous bills, the Indian Penal Code (IPC) 1860, the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), 1973, and the Indian Evidence Act, 1872, were withdrawn to introduce fresh Bills with new amendments, as per a regular process.

Shah said that discussion on the three Bills would take place on Dec 14 and reply to the debate would be held on Dec 15.

The lower house speaker, Om Birla, allotted 12 hours for discussion over the three Bills.

The three new bills Amit Shah introduced

The HM mentioned that five sections have been amended, while most of the other changes include grammar and language tweaks.

According to Shah’s address in parliament today, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023 will replace the CrPC, which will include a total of 533 sections. 160 of the sections have been changed, nine have been repealed, and nine have been added to the new Bill, as stated by Shah.

The 561 sections of the IPC will now be reduced to 356 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023. The bill will see 22 sections withdrawn, eight added, and 175 amended.

The Evidence Act will be replaced by the Bharatiya Sakshya Bill 2023, which will see the 167 sections marginally increase to 170. While five sections have been repealed in this Bill, one new section has been added, and 23 are amended.

(With inputs from IANS)

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