What are the 3 new bills being introduced to replace the IPC, CrPC, and Indian Evidence Act?

Union Minister Amit Shah on Friday, August 11, 2023, introduced three new bills to replace 164-year-old laws from the British era. The three laws to be replaced are - the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), and the Indian Evidence Act. 

The Hon'ble Home Minister of India shri #AmitShah ji is set to introduce 3 new bills in the LokSabha.
These repeal & replace the IPC, CrPC & the Indian Evidence Act respectively.

IPC-> Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita

CrPC -> Bhartiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita

Evidence Act -> The… pic.twitter.com/8d2kw4m63o

— Tehseen Poonawalla Official 🇮🇳 (@tehseenp) August 11, 2023

The three new bills being introduced are the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Bill, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita Bill, and Bharatiya Sakshya Bill. 

"The laws that will be repealed… the focus of those laws was to protect and strengthen the British administration, the idea was to punish and not to give justice. By replacing them, the new three laws will bring the spirit to protect the rights of the Indian citizen,” said the Union Minister in the Lok Sabha.

The intention is to provide justice rather than impose punishment. Emphasizing the bills, he noted they will be addressing issues such as "terrorism, mob-lynching, and crimes against women." The country's criminal justice system, which has adhered to British-made laws from 1860 to 2023, is poised for substantial change as the three laws are slated for replacement. Shah pointed out that this alteration will bring about a significant transformation in the country's criminal justice system. 

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The Bharatiya Sanhita Suraksha Bill's Section 150 considers a recommendation from India's Law Commission to increase sedition's alternative punishment from 3 to 7 years. The commission suggests keeping the 153-year-old sedition law intact to avoid harming the country's security and unity.

They also want to modify IPC Section 124A (sedition law). The commission proposes changing the sedition law, which currently allows up to life imprisonment or 3 years, to have an alternative 7-year penalty. This would let courts decide penalties based on seriousness.

The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Bill's Section 44 lets self-defence against deadly attacks, like mob assaults. Section 31 says that unintentionally causing harm through well-intentioned communication isn't an offence.

Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita has bail if the accused serves half the max punishment during the trial. Some offenses aim to be gender-neutral. Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita adds offenses related to terrorism and organized crime.

The introduction of these bills will go on a long way to improve the judicial system of the country. 

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