Three criminal laws, in lieu of colonial-era codes, to come into effect from July 1

The three new criminal laws, replacing the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Indian Evidence Act from the British era, and the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), will come into force from July 1. This was confirmed by the government who said in a notification on Saturday.

The three new criminal laws are Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam.

The Bharatiya Sakshya Sanhita, 2023, The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita Bill, 2023, and The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 were passed by both Houses of Parliament during the Winter Session.

They were enacted into law after they got assent from President Droupadi Murmu. They will respectively replace the Indian Evidence Act, 1872, the Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 and the IPC.

According to experts, the three new laws will make punishments more stringent for terrorism, lynching, and offences endangering national security.

While 20 new offences have been added to the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 19 provisions that existed in IPC have been deleted. In 33 offences, the punishment of imprisonment has been increased.

In 83 provisions, the punishment of fine has been enhanced, while in 23 offences, the mandatory minimum punishment has been introduced and in six offences the punishment of 'community service' has been introduced.

The major changes proposed in the new criminal laws include the introduction of the definition of a child; the inclusion of transgender in the definition of 'gender', the inclusion of electronic and digital records in the definition of the document and the widening of the definition of 'movable' to include property of every description.

Presenting the criminal bills in Rajya Sabha, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said that laws, once implemented, will ensure the end of the "tareekh-pe-tareekh" era and justice will be delivered within three years.