Draft Bills To Replace Criminal Laws Not Adopted, Key Meet On November 6

A parliamentary committee scrutinising three bills to replace existing criminal laws did not adopt its draft report as scheduled today, taking into account the submission of some opposition members that they needed more time to study it.

Several opposition members urged the Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Home Affairs Brij Lal to seek an extension of three months in its tenure, arguing that it may have heard domain experts but not heard out stake-holders in detail, sources said.

The committee will now meet on November 6.

Hearing stake-holders, including lawyers and a cross-section of litigants, is important as it is the economically-challenged people who are affected the most, an opposition MP said.

In their letter to the committee, the members have said the committee should not be in hurry to meet its deadline of three months.

Seeking a complete overhaul of colonial-era criminal laws, Home Minister Amit Shah had introduced in Lok Sabha during the Monsoon session three Bills to replace the Indian Penal Code (IPC), The Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 and the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 with Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, respectively.

The House later sent the bills after their introduction on August 11 to the committee for scrutiny and asked it to submit its report within three months.

Earlier, sources told Press Trust of India that some opposition members, including P Chidambaram of the Congress and Derek O'Brien of the TMC, had written to Brij Lal, a BJP MP, seeking more time to study the draft report and file their views as it entailed three separate bills.
 

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