The three criminal justice laws got Parliament’s approval on December 21 last year and notably, President Murmu gave them the final assent on December 25.
New Delhi: The transformation of the criminal justice system in our country is on the horizon, with the upcoming implementation of recently passed legislation. This includes the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and the Bharatiya Sakshya Act, which are scheduled to be put into effect on July 1st. These highly anticipated laws got the thumbs up from Parliament on December 21st last year and were further endorsed by President Droupadi Murmu just four days later on Christmas. We now know from a trio of matching notifications issued by our Union Home Ministry that the specifics within these new laws will go into full swing on July 1st.
The laws will replace the colonial-era Indian Penal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Indian Evidence Act of 1872, respectively. The three laws aim at completely overhauling the criminal justice system in the country by giving definitions of various offences and their punishments.
BCI Pledges Support To Legal Practitioners In Operationalising New Criminal Codes
The Bar Council of India pledged its support to legal practitioners through a “time-bound roadmap” to facilitate the operationalization of the three new criminal codes enacted last year. In a release, Bar Council of India (BCI) chief Manan Kumar Mishra hailed as “seminal” the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam that will replace the Indian Penal Code of 1860, the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1973 and the Indian Evidence Act of 1872, respectively.
After being passed by the Parliament in December, the bills subsequently received presidential assent. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs is yet to notify the date on which the new criminal codes will come into effect.
“These bills have now ascended to the realm of law, ushering in a new era by superseding antiquated legislations hailing from the annals of the 19th century,” the Council’s communication said, and added that the new laws “laid down the bedrock for transparency, technological assimilation, and forensic advancements aimed at augmenting the efficacy of investigations and bolstering conviction rates.”.
For operationalising the new codes, the Council pledged its support to legal practitioners through a “time-bound roadmap” for training and upskilling.
The ‘roadmap’ will include several measures, such as identifying key focus areas, developing a structured curriculum to address training needs, collaborating with all stakeholders, utilising digital platforms, organising special training programs, and conducting mock trials, it said.
Bar Council To Run Outreach Programes
The Council also said that, along with the establishment of regional training centres, outreach programmes and awareness campaigns in collaboration with state or local bar councils will be conducted.
“The Bar Council of India extends heartfelt appreciation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for their steadfast commitment to justice and visionary stewardship in navigating the corridors of progressive reforms in criminal jurisprudence,” the release said.
“The BCI hopes and trusts that almost all the developing countries will adopt these new laws very soon and bid goodbye to the old colonial laws,” it added.
Applauding the steps taken by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) in aligning the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems and Interoperable Criminal Justice System frameworks with the tenets of the new codes, the Council said the advent of NCRB’s user-friendly applications will support all stakeholders.
(With inputs from agencies)