What happened
The Ministry of Home Affairs has linked the new criminal law framework to faster justice delivery. The Ministry said that the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, the Bharatiya Nagarika Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 are meant to replace the Indian Penal Code, 1860, the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, and the Indian Evidence Act, 1872.
The Ministry highlighted fixed procedural timelines, fast-track handling of certain offences, and digital applications as the main tools for speed, efficiency, and transparency in criminal justice administration.
Background and earlier position
The release says that the Law Commission of India and several committees, including the Bezbaruah, Vishwanathan, Malimath, and Madhawa Menon समितtees, had recommended section-specific amendments and broader criminal justice reform. The Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs had also recommended comprehensive legislation rather than piece-meal amendments in its 111th, 128th, and 146th Reports.
The older framework rested on three colonial-era statutes: the Indian Penal Code, 1860, the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, and the Indian Evidence Act, 1872. The new laws are meant to replace that framework with a more time-bound and technology-enabled system.
Related current affairs
- Implementation of new criminal laws (BNS, BNSS, BSA) and capacity building for e-governance in criminal justice
- Government strengthens nationwide implementation of new criminal laws through training, technology and judicial reforms
- Ministry of Home Affairs: Citizen-centric justice measures in the new criminal laws (Sanhitas)
- SC issues notice to Centre on petition to ban polygamy
- The right to protest and the limits of police power
- ‘Preserve CCTV footage’: HC