Government Re-introduces 3 Criminal Law Bills
On Tuesday, the Union government withdrew and subsequently reintroduced three criminal law Bills, following recommendations made by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs. Union Home Minister Amit Shah clarified that the Bills were re-introduced to incorporate various suggestions from the Standing Committee, eliminating the need for multiple official amendments.
Amit Shah explained that the changes primarily addressed grammatical errors and involved about four to five modifications. The government is open to a comprehensive discussion, and opposition members have been given 48 hours to review the alterations before the scheduled debate on Thursday. Shah expressed readiness to consider any amendments proposed by the opposition during the discussion.
The three Bills in question are the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Bill, Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam Bill, and Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita Bill. These bills aim to replace the Indian Penal Code, Indian Evidence Act, and Code of Criminal Procedure, respectively.
The Bill defines a “child” as any person below the age of 18. and also the definition of terrorist act has been expanded to include “economic security” and “damage or destruction of any property in India or in a foreign country used or intended to be used for the defence of India”.
Notably, the Standing Committee recommended retaining a section criminalizing adultery, a provision that had been decriminalized by the Supreme Court in 2018. However, reports indicate that the government did not accept this specific recommendation.
