India’s criminal justice system will undergo a complete overhaul today with three fresh criminal codes replacing the full set of British-era laws, including the Indian Penal Code. Delhi Police registered the first FIR under these new laws. Officials reported that an FIR under section 285 of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023 was filed against a street vendor at the Kamala Nagar Police Station in Delhi.
Criminal Laws Come Into Effect Across India
Why In News
- India’s criminal justice system will undergo a complete overhaul today with three fresh criminal codes replacing the full set of British-era laws, including the Indian Penal Code.
- Delhi Police registered the first FIR under these new laws. Officials reported that an FIR under section 285 of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023 was filed against a street vendor at the Kamala Nagar Police Station in Delhi. The vendor was accused of creating an obstruction under the foot overbridge of New Delhi Railway Station while making sales.
New Criminal Laws
- Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam will replace the Indian Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure and the Indian Evidence Act.
- The laws were changed to ensure speedier justice and be in sync with this day and age and the new forms of crime that occur, the government has said. Judgments are now required within 45 days of completion of trial and charges framed within 60 days of first hearing.
- The new laws will allow any person to file a Zero FIR at any police station, regardless of jurisdiction; it will permit online registration of police complaints and electronic serving of summons.
- They make videography of crime scenes mandatory for all heinous crimes. Summonses can be served electronically, expediting the legal processes.
- Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said the change was made to ensure “speedy justice and justice to all”. A report says that these Bills were passed by the Parliament during the winter session last year.
- The new criminal laws mark a significant step towards empowering Indian citizens. These laws aim to create a more accessible, supportive, and efficient justice system for everyone.
- The key provisions of the new criminal laws include Reporting Incidents Online, Filing FIR at Any Police Station as well as the victims getting a free copy of FIR. Apart from this, in the event of an arrest, the individual has the right to inform a person of his choice about their situation.
- The new laws have also prioritized the investigations for offences against women and children, ensuring timely completion within two months of recording information.
- In the new criminal laws, it has become mandatory for forensic experts to visit crime scenes for serious offences and collect evidence. Summons can now be served electronically, expediting legal processes, reducing paperwork, and ensuring efficient communication between all parties involved.
- Proper implementation of these laws will require training and forensic teams, whose visits have been made mandatory for offences carrying a sentence of seven years or more, he said.
- New provisions have been made in view of emerging crimes like gang rapes, killing by mobs, false promise of marriage and others. “This will increase the demand for forensic experts across the country, which the NFSU (National Forensic Science University) will cater to,” Mr Shah has said.
- The NFSU was taken forward as the new laws were being framed, he added. Campuses of this university have been opened in 9 states, which will be expanded to 16 states.
- The Opposition parties, including the Congress, maintain the decision to implement the new criminal laws from July 1 has been taken in haste. More consultation was required before enforcing them, the party said.
- West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to defer the implementation of the “hurriedly passed” laws. Parliament, she said, could then review them afresh.
- “These laws signify a watershed moment for our society because no law affects the day-to-day conduct of our society like the criminal law,” Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud has said.
