New Delhi: Three new criminal laws — Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam — came into effect across the country on Monday. These laws will replace the colonial-era Indian Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure and the Indian Evidence Act, respectively.
The new laws aim to modernise India’s justice system, incorporating provisions such as Zero FIR, online registration of police complaints, and electronic summonses. “These laws have been crafted to address contemporary social realities and crimes, ensuring mechanisms that reflect the ideals enshrined in our Constitution,” official sources told news agency PTI.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who spearheaded the legislative overhaul, emphasised the focus on justice over penal action. “These laws are made by Indians, for Indians, and by an Indian Parliament, marking the end of colonial criminal justice laws,” he said. Shah highlighted that the changes are more than just a renaming exercise. “The soul, body, and spirit of the new laws are Indian,” he remarked.
