NEW DELHI: The Union government on Tuesday introduced three redrafted bills to replace the existing criminal laws Indian Penal Code, CrPC and the Evidence Act by incorporating various recommendations made by a parliamentary panel. In the reintroduced bills, at least five changes have been made, including in the definition of terrorism.
“Whoever does any act with the intent to threaten or likely to threaten the unity, integrity, sovereignty, security, or economic security of India or with the intent to strike terror or likely to strike terror in the people or any section of the people in India or in any foreign country...,” it says.
After introducing the bills, Union minister Amit Shah said that mainly five sections have been tweaked and most of the changes relate to grammar and language. The Central government introduced three Bills in Parliament in August called the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 and the Bharatiya Sakshya Bill, 2023 which will replace the Indian Penal Code, 1860, the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), 1973 and the Indian Evidence Act, 1872, respectively.
In a significant change in Section 73, the bill now makes it punishable to publish the proceedings of a court, which may reveal the identity of victims of rape or that of similar offences without the court’s permission.
Though the parliamentary panel, headed by BJP MP Brij Lal, recommended bringing back a gender-neutral adultery law and punishing non-consensual gay sex, the government had serious reservations on it. In the new bills, the government brought back the term “unsound mind” instead of “mental illness” as recommended by the panel.
The new bill also said that organised crime resulting in death of any person, will get death or imprisonment for life or fine not less than Rs 10 lakh. The discussion on the bills will take place on Thursday and voting will be done on Friday, Shah told Opposition members who demanded sufficient time to study the three bills.
What’s in, what’s out
Threatening economic security of the nation 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 added to the definition of terrorism Officer of the rank of SP can decide whether to file a case UAPA ‘Mental illness’ phrase out as it is too wide in import; ‘unsound mind’ in Death penalty retained. House standing committee had left it to the govt to take the call Definition of cruelty against women expanded to include harming a woman’s mental and physical health Publishing proceedings of a court that may reveal the identity of victims of rape or similar offences without the court’s permission made punishable
