Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated on Wednesday that the proposed laws will include a provision for the death punishment for the crime of mob lynching when debating the three new criminal law proposals in the Lok Sabha. The three bills were notably approved by the Lok Sabha today.
In addition, Shah declared that the Center had resolved to repeal the sedition statute, citing instances in which the British had employed it to imprison Indian freedom fighters.
The British-enacted sedition statute, which is still in effect today, sent Tilak Maharaj, Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel, and numerous other freedom fighters to prison for extended periods of time. Speaking in the Lok Sabha, he stated, "The Modi government has decided to completely abolish the sedition law for the first time."
According to Amit Shah, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which will take the role of the Indian Penal Code, will prioritize justice over punishment.
During the Monsoon Session of Parliament, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Bill, 2023, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita Bill, 2023, and the Bharatiya Sakshya Bill, 2023 were initially introduced. During the Winter Session, Shah introduced the bills that had been modified.
Shah added that a method to improve police accountability will be introduced by the proposed laws. Every police station will now required to keep records of persons who have been arrested, and Shah said that a designated police officer will be in charge of keeping these information up to date.
Speaking about the new criminal bills' contents, Shah stated that the government had made the rules against trafficking gender-neutral.
"There was no time limit for plea bargaining earlier," he continued. Now, the penalty would be decreased if the offender admitted to the offense within 30 days of it happening. The ability to produce papers during a trial was nonexistent. It is now required that all documentation be submitted within 30 days. There won't be any wait times on that."
Regarding case registration, Shah stated that the new legislation require a formal complaint to be filed and a formal police report (FIR) to be filed within three days, to a maximum of fourteen days.
The preliminary investigation must be finished in 14 days in situations where the maximum sentence is three to seven years.
