President Droupadi Murmu on Monday gave her assent to three criminal law Bills recently passed by the Parliament — the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, proposing to replace the Indian Penal Code; Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita proposing to replace the Code of Criminal Procedure; and the Bharatiya Sakshya Sanhita, which seeks to replace the Indian Evidence Act.
With the Presidential assent, these Bills — passed by the Parliament last Thursday — have been enacted into law.
The earlier triumvirate of Indian Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure and the Indian Evidence Act now stand repealed.
The three criminal Bills are essentially aimed at revamping the colonial-era criminal laws, with a focus on enhancing penalties for crimes such as terrorism, lynching, and offences jeopardising national security.
The Bills that repeal and replace the Indian Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure and the Indian Evidence Act will usher in a new era in the criminal justice system, Home Minister Amit Shah had said last Thursday while replying to a debate in the Upper House.
