New Criminal Laws To Come Into Effect From July 1

Three new criminal laws, replacing the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Indian Evidence Act from the British era, and the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), will come into force from July 1, the government said on Saturday.

The three new criminal laws are- Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, which will completely overhaul the country's criminal justice system. According to three identical notifications issued by the Union Home Ministry, provisions of the new laws will come into force from July 1.

The Bharatiya Sakshya Sanhita, 2023, The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita Bill, 2023, and The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 were passed by Parliament on December 21 last year. They were enacted into law after they got assent from President Droupadi Murmu on December 25 last year. They will replace the Indian Evidence Act, 1872, the Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 and the IPC.

According to experts, the three new laws will make punishments more stringent for terrorism, lynching, and offences endangering national security.