Government sticks firmly to Indian names for bills to reform criminal laws | latest news india

The union government has stood firm on retaining the Indian names for the three bills slated to replace the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) and Evidence Act, and told a parliamentary committee on Friday that the names of the bills are written using English, the only requirement. to the constitution.

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Union Home Minister Ajay Bhalla addressed the objections raised by some opposition MPs, including NR Elango of DMK, Dayanidhi Maran and Congressman Digvijaya Singh, against the Indian titles of the bills. The MPs referred to Article 348 of the Constitution which stipulates the use of the English language in the names of all laws.

The three bills have been named the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (replacing the Indian Penal Code), the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita Act (replacing the Criminal Procedure Code), and the Bharatiya Sakshya Bill (replacing the Indian Evidence Act).

The aforementioned persons said that Bhalla justified the use of Hindi or Sanskrit names for the bills, asserting that there was no violation of any constitutional provision as the bills and their official texts were written in English. He told the committee members that since Article 348 provides for the use of English in the official texts of all bills, laws and decrees, there is no violation if the bills are written in English. The people familiar with the matter said the Union Home Minister conveyed the center’s acknowledgment to keep the Indian names.

This prompted the MP and Senior Advocate Elango to ask Bhalla if the government would consider naming the bills in Tamil and writing them in English, people said.

MP Maran of DMK, a day earlier, sent a letter to Committee Chairman Brij Lal objecting to the Hindi titles of the bills, saying it violated the unitary nature of the country where citizens speak a variety of non-Indian languages.

On the second day of the Parliamentary Home Affairs Committee meeting, Bhalla briefed the MPs on the various provisions of the three bills and explained to them the proposed changes. While the Home Secretary continued with his presentation, many MPs favored extensive debates across the country before the final report. Certain provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita were also discussed by the committee and Bhalla assured the members that their suggestions were being duly taken into consideration.

Bhalla will continue on Saturday. Members are likely to have two days next month to seek clarification from the home secretary. Other members of the panel include Derek O’Brien, Dilip Ghosh and Rakesh Sinha.

Read also: Opposition MPs are seeking cause to introduce three new bills to reform criminal laws

The three bills, aimed at revamping the future landscape of criminal law in the country, were introduced by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Parliament on August 11 to replace the British-era IPC, Criminal Procedure Code and Evidence Act, an overhaul he said he would make. Transforming our criminal justice system.

The proposed laws include major changes to deal with crimes of terrorism, crimes against women, lynchings and crimes against the state, in addition to restructuring the method of investigation and providing investigation and trial within a specific time frame.