Amit Shah says new criminal laws affordable, accessible and approachable

Amit Shah says new criminal laws affordable, accessible and approachable

New Delhi: Union home minister Amit Shah said on Tuesday that Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA) are “affordable, accessible, and approachable” and make the judicial process “simpler, more consistent, and transparent”, while adding that the new laws will “fundamentally transform the Indian criminal justice system in the coming days”.

New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah addresses an event in Delhi to mark the completion of one year of new criminal laws. (PTI)

Speaking at an event in Delhi to mark the completion of one year of new criminal laws, which replaced the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) and Indian Evidence Act on July 1 last year, the home minister added that with the full implementation, which may take three years, and use of technology, “our justice system will become the most modern justice system in the world”.

“The three new criminal laws introduced under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be affordable, accessible, and approachable, while also making the judicial process simpler, more consistent, and transparent. A golden era of governance based on social, economic, and political justice is about to begin. In the coming days, our criminal justice system will enter a new era, which will definitely instil a strong sense of trust among the people that justice will be delivered promptly. The new laws will replace the fear of ‘what will happen if I file an FIR’ with the confidence that ‘filing an FIR will lead to immediate justice’,” Shah said.

“The new criminal laws will fundamentally transform the Indian criminal justice system in the coming days. After the full implementation in nearly three years, justice in the country will be delivered all the way up to the Supreme Court, starting from filing of the FIR,” he added.

Sharing details of implementation of new laws across the country, Shah said around 14.80,000 cops, 42,000 jail personnel, more than 19,000 judicial officers and more than 11,000 public prosecutors have been trained in the last one year.

About 23 states have 100% completed their capacity building pertaining to the new laws and notifications of e-evidence and e-summons have been issued by 11 states and union territories, Shah said.

Among the states and UTs, Delhi has done the best in implementing these laws quickly, he added.

The new criminal laws replaced the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) and Indian Evidence Act, the British-era laws that formed the basis of the criminal justice system in India for over 150 years.

The government has hailed the new laws as the biggest justice-focused reform in the history of India. Some of the key changes in the new laws are the ability to file a complaint anywhere, online registration of such complaints, the issue of summons through electronic modes such as SMS, mandatory videography of crime scenes for all heinous crimes, and 20 years of punishment in gang rape cases (a possible death penalty if the victim is below 12 years of age).

The laws recognise new crimes such as mob lynching and allow trial in absentia of fugitive criminals. They also repeal archaic provisions such as homosexuality, adultery, attempt to commit suicide and sedition .