This Article is From Aug 29, 2023

P Chidambaram Nominated To House Panel Looking Into New Criminal Laws

Mr Chidambaram's nomination comes after the retirement of Congress member P Bhattacharya from the Rajya Sabha.

P Chidambaram Nominated To House Panel Looking Into New Criminal Laws

The three bills were introduced in the Lok Sabha on August 11.

New Delhi:

Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Tuesday nominated former home minister and Congress member P Chidambaram to the department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs.

Mr Chidambaram's nomination comes in the wake of the retirement of Congress member P Bhattacharya from Rajya Sabha.

The Parliamentary Committee on Home Affairs is currently looking into the three new bills - Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and Bharatiya Sakshya Bill - seeking to replace criminal laws Indian Penal Code (IPC), Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and the Indian Evidence Act.

"The Chairman, Rajya Sabha has, on the 28th August, 2023, nominated Shri P. Chidambaram, Member, Rajya Sabha, to the Committee on Home Affairs vice Shri P. Bhattacharya, who retired from the membership of Rajya Sabha on the 18th August, 2023," a bulletin from the Rajya Sabha secretariat said.

Mr Dhankhar had, on August 18, referred the three proposed laws that will replace the IPC, CrPC and the Evidence Act to the Standing Committee on Home Affairs for examination and asked it to submit its report within three months.

The three bills were introduced in the Lok Sabha by Home Minister Amit Shah on August 11.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs has members from both Houses of Parliament.

BJP member Brij Lal is the chairman of the committee.

The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) provides for several changes in the existing provisions including that of defamation, attempt to commit suicide and expanded the scope of offence against women pertaining to sexual intercourse by employing "deceitful means".

It also lists new offences such as acts of secession, armed rebellion, subversive activities, separatist activities or endangering the sovereignty or unity in the new avatar of the sedition law.

For the first time, the word terrorism has been defined under the BNS which was not there under the IPC. 

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

.