“Three criminal laws have been introduced after holding consultations”: Union Minister Meghwal

New Delhi | June, 30 : As the three new criminal laws are to be implemented across the country from July 1, Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said on Sunday that the three laws were necessary given the developments in technology and forensic science.
Meghwal also mentioned that the above-mentioned laws have been introduced after consulting.
“The new criminal laws will be implemented from 1 July 2024. The three criminal laws have been introduced after holding consultations. The three laws were necessary given the developments in technology, and forensic science. The present government aims to provide justice to the public of the nation,” he said.
In a post on X, the Union Law Minister said that the Modi government is implementing three new laws that reflect the spirit of Indianness.
“By removing the old laws with a slave mentality, the Modi government is implementing three new laws reflecting the spirit of Indianness, namely, the Indian Justice Code, the Indian Civil Defence Code and the Indian Evidence Act. At the core of these laws is a strong sense of justice instead of punishment,” Meghwal said.
Uma Shankar, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Delhi Police Academy said on Sunday that the new laws contain several public-friendly provisions and 40,000 personnel have been trained already regarding these.
Uma Shankar told ANI that 50 master trainers were appointed to plan the training in three phases.
“Following the commissioner’s directives, an expert committee was formed to design the training material and the course for training investigating officers (IO). Subsequently, five booklets were created, which are currently being used for training. After that, 50 master trainers were appointed to plan the training in three phases,” he said.
“In the first phase, training was provided to 9,800 frontline IOs who are posted in various districts or investigative units. In the second phase, training was provided to 5,500 IOs who are not currently posted in any district. In the third phase, the expert committee trained 140 master trainers who are posted in different districts through the appointed master trainers,” the DCP of Delhi Police Academy said. He further informed that today, training is ongoing at 32 different locations and 40,000 people have already been trained, and the remaining training will be completed as soon as possible.
“The new criminal laws include several public-friendly provisions, such as the provision for zero FIR. If an incident occurs, you can file a complaint at any station, and it will be sent to the complainant’s jurisdiction. The provision for online FIR will now be available nationwide. There is also a provision allowing victims to record their statements from wherever they reside without having to visit the court repeatedly,” Uma Shankar said.
Speaking on the women’s crimes, he mentioned that women can file a complaint from wherever she want.
“If a crime occurs against a woman, she won’t need to go to a specific place to file a complaint; instead, the complaint can be registered wherever she wishes. The IO will visit her location to record the complaint,” he added.
The three new criminal laws namely, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023, and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2023 are scheduled to come into effect from July 1. These new laws aim to replace the Indian Penal Code of 1860, the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1973, and the Indian Evidence Act of 1872.
Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita will have 358 sections (instead of 511 sections in the IPC). A total of 20 new crimes have been added to the bill, and the imprisonment sentence has been increased for 33 of them. The amount of the fine has been increased in 83 crimes and mandatory minimum punishment has been introduced in 23 crimes. The penalty of community service has been introduced for six crimes and 19 sections have been repealed or removed from the bill.
Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita will have 531 sections (in place of 484 sections of CrPC). A total of 177 provisions have been changed in the bill, and nine new sections as well as 39 new sub-sections have been added to it. The draft act has added 44 new provisions and clarifications. Timelines have been added to 35 sections and audio-video provision has been added at 35 places.
A total of 14 sections have been repealed and removed from the bill, Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam will have 170 provisions (instead of the original 167 provisions), and a total of 24 provisions have been changed. Two new provisions and six sub-provisions have been added and six provisions have been repealed or deleted from the bill. The Ministry of Home Affairs notified in February that the three laws shall come into force on July 1, 2024.