The Ministry of Home Affairs formed a committee headed by Prof. (Dr.) Ranbir Singh, along with other members, to review criminal law codes.
Mandate: Recommend reforms prioritizing individual, community, and national safety, and upholding justice, dignity, and constitutional values.
Committee gathered stakeholder feedback through a questionnaire and submitted recommendations in February 2022.
Changes in Offences and Laws
Sedition offense (Section 124A) under IPC repealed; new section introduced addressing speech inciting separatist and subversive activities.
Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Bill introduces new provisions, changes to existing ones, and repeals 22 IPC provisions.
Punishments for gang rape and rape of minors updated, offenses made gender-neutral.
Capital punishment introduced for mob lynching; punishment for unnatural sexual offenses omitted.
Adultery offense omitted, following Supreme Court ruling.
Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita Bill replaces CrPC, adds provisions for FIR copies, electronic examinations, summary trials, and streamlining the magisterial system.
Bharatiya Sakshya Bill replaces Indian Evidence Act, focuses on admissibility of electronic records, expands scope of secondary evidence.
The Bills represent a significant transformation in India's criminal justice system, aiming for efficiency, transparency, and technological adaptation.
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