The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed three revised criminal law bills aiming to overhaul the criminal justice system in the country and establish a “justice system based on Indian thinking”.
The bills Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita proposes to replace the Indian Penal Code, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita seeks to replace the Code of Criminal Procedure, and Bharatiya Sakshya Sanhita replaces the Indian Evidence Act.
Replying to a debate on the bills in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the proposed laws were framed after comprehensive consultations and that he had gone through every comma and full stop of the draft legislations before bringing them before the House for approval.
He said the existing criminal laws were reflective of the colonial mindset with the intention to punish and not impart justice.
“The three new bills seek to establish a justice system based on Indian thinking… The three proposed criminal laws will free people from colonial mindset and its symbols,” Shah said, before the Lok Sabha passed the bills by voice vote.