Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said that “soul, body and thought” of the three new criminal laws are purely “Bharatiya” as he used his reply to discussion on the legislations that was finally passed by the Rajya Sabha to take on the opposition for questioning the need to bring comprehensively reform in the colonial-era legal system.

Almost all the opposition benches in the Rajya Sabha were empty due to suspension of 46 MPs when Home Minister was speaking in the House. Together with 100 MPs suspension from Lok Sabha, the tally of parliamentarians forced out of the proceedings went up to 146. Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar said the new criminal laws will “create history” as the Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita, 2023, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita, 2023 and the Bharatiya Sakshya (Second) Bill, 2023, was passed by a voice vote in the Upper House to replace the existing Indian Penal Code, Criminal Procedure Code and the Evidence Act.

Amit Shah said even though the opposition leaders are not here but it was his duty as public servant to respond to their queries raised outside on the need for three Bills. “The criminal justice system will leap from 19th Century to 21st Century to become the world’s most modern and scientific laws, as they would be compatible to technological advancements for next 100 years,” he answered.

Blaming the Congress for ruling the country with colonial mindset, he said the lead opposition party would abuse the sedition law when in government but would agitate after losing power. He said thousands were put behind the bars during Emergency during the Indira Gandhi regime. According to the Minister, sedition has been turned into a treason as speaking against the government would not invite offence but nothing against the state will be accepted under the new law.

In his speech, he reiterated what he stated in the Lok Sabha last evening on important aspects of the proposed laws on giving primacy to women and child related offences, terrorism, organised crime, digitisation of criminal justice system and doing away with delays as he insisted that the motive is not to punish but to give justice. Modi government delivers what it promises unlike that of Congress, he stressed.

The laws will enhance “Bharatiya pride” which opposition cannot realise, he said to enumerate reasons for the new laws.

He said that the 72 per cent recommendation of the standing committee on home was accepted and drafted into the three bills. He also informed the House that Chandigarh would become the first city to have digitised criminal justice system before the next elections.

For implementing the law, he said the infrastructure is already being laid. For instance, as per him, 97 percent of police stations have been linked to all India network, 82 percent of data has been digitised and rest would be completed in one year. Similarly, e-courts, e-jails, e-prosecution, and e-forensic are some of the provisions that have been started to complete the infrastructure required to deliver the justice. he pointed out.

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