New Rules for Crimes: Three Fresh Laws Taking Over from Old Ones Starting July 1

New Rules for Crimes: Three Fresh Laws Taking Over from Old Ones Starting July 1

The government announced on Saturday that three new laws for crimes, approved by the Parliament, will be in action from July 1. The government stated that the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam will replace the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Indian Evidence Act, and the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), starting this July.

The three laws were approved by the Parliament on December 21 last year, and President Droupadi Murmu gave her approval on December 25.

These three laws aim to improve the system of dealing with crimes by giving clear definitions of many offenses and their associated punishments.

Under the authority granted by section 1(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (45 of 2023), the Central Government has officially set July 1, 2024, as the commencement date for the provisions of the Sanhita. This excludes the provision mentioned in section 106(2), as stated in the notification issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

In the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, they've added 20 new offenses and taken out 19 provisions from the IPC. They've also made the prison sentences longer for 33 offenses. Besides, fines have increased in 83 cases, and they've set minimum penalties for 23 offenses. On top of that, for six offenses, they've introduced 'community service' as a type of punishment.

Following the enactment of the laws, truckers expressed their dissatisfaction with Section 106 (2). This section imposes a 10-year imprisonment and a fine on individuals who, through careless and negligent driving of a vehicle (not amounting to culpable homicide), cause someone's death and then leave the scene without reporting it to a police officer.

Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla mentioned that the choice to apply Section 106 (2) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita would only be made after discussing it with the All India Motor Transport Congress.

For the first time, the term terrorism has been given a definition in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which was not present in the IPC. Additionally, the new laws enhance the magistrate's authority to levy fines and broaden the criteria for declaring someone a proclaimed offender.

According to the laws, if someone purposefully uses words, whether spoken or written, signs, images, electronic messages, or money, to encourage actions like breaking away, rebelling with weapons, or causing harm to the country's unity, they can be punished. This punishment might include either life imprisonment or up to seven years in prison, along with a fine.

In the new laws, the term 'Rajdroh' has been replaced with 'Deshdroh' (traitor), eliminating the connection to the British crown. Additionally, the magistrate now has more authority to impose fines, and there is a broader scope for declaring someone a proclaimed offender.

When introducing the criminal bills in the Rajya Sabha, Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated that once these laws are put into action, they will put an end to the 'tareekh-pe-tareekh' (date of the next hearing in a case) scenario. Justice will be served within three years.

Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2023, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023 and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023 to come into effect from 1st July, 2024. pic.twitter.com/Kw0F3I7A4D

— ANI (@ANI) February 24, 2024