New criminal laws to ensure speedy justice: timelines and technology-enabled processes
Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarika Suraksha Sanhita, and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam emphasise fixed timelines, fast-track processes, and digital tools in criminal justice administration.
- The committee had recommended comprehensive criminal justice legislation in its 111th, 128th, and 146th Reports.
- The Ministry has presented the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, the Bharatiya Nagarika Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 as the new framework for criminal justice reform.
- The Ministry has highlighted technology tools for digital evidence, electronic summons, and virtual appearance in criminal proceedings.
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.
UPSC can ask how the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, the Bharatiya Nagarika Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 seek to address delay, congestion, and evidentiary bottlenecks in criminal trials. A Mains answer can also assess whether timelines, electronic processes, and video-conferencing improve access to justice while preserving fairness and due process.
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