Imphal: Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh announced today that “three new criminal laws” have been enforced starting today. The Union Home Ministry had recently announced the enactment of three new criminal laws. Based on this, Biren Singh declared the enforcement of the three laws from today, an official report said.
Addressing a formal function at the Palace Auditorium, Manipur State Film Development Society in Imphal, N. Biren Singh stated that the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) 2023, and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA) 2023 have replaced the British-era Indian Penal Code, 1860, the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, and the Indian Evidence Act, 1872, respectively, the DIPR report said.
Highlighting the provisions of the new laws, the Chief Minister mentioned that there are provisions for a maximum of two adjournments in court cases and the filing of zero-FIRs at any police station. He expressed that these laws will be of great help to the people.
He further explained that under the new laws, FIRs can be filed in one’s own dialect. Stating that the laws are up-to-date and will be very effective, he emphasized that implementation is crucial. If the implementing agencies, including security officers and lawyers, are not sincere, the laws will not serve their purpose, Biren Singh said, and appealed to all to work with sincerity and conviction to help deliver justice to the people.
N. Biren Singh also mentioned that the Central Government introduced these laws based on the observation that the existing laws were inadequate to address the technological advancements and societal shifts that have occurred over the past few decades.
The new laws overhaul the Indian criminal justice system, aiming to implement justice through a victim-centric approach, increasing focus on national security, and introducing digital/electronic evidence reviews, the DIPR further reported.
The Chief Minister also said that there are provisions against mob justice and appealed to the people of the State to avoid delivering mob justice and to seek understanding through dialogue and more peaceful ways.
He noted other major changes, including revisions in punishment for certain crimes, addressing issues such as jurisdiction, backlog of cases, insufficient human resources and infrastructure, inadequate investigations and prosecutions, and outdated laws and procedures.
The Chief Minister highlighted certain key features of the three new laws. Under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, in the corporate context, the penal sections of law mostly relate to cases of cheating, criminal misappropriation, breach of trust, forgery, and the use of forged documents.
He also highlighted key features of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) 2023, noting that it defines additional types of electronic evidence, empowers courts and police officers to issue summons in cases involving digital evidence, clarifies jurisdictions in cheating cases involving electronic modes of deception, and empowers courts to ask for electronic filings in cases where documents are voluminous.
The Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA) 2023 has expanded the definition of ‘document’ to include electronic and digital records, includes examples of such records, expands the definition of documentary evidence to include electronic/digital records, classifies electronic evidence as primary evidence when produced from ‘proper custody,’ and broadens the definition of ‘experts’ to include more areas of expertise.
The laws have been presented with a vision to tackle the challenges within India’s criminal justice system, with the support of advanced investigation methodologies and technology, the Chief Minister added.
Law and Legislative Affairs Minister Shri Thounaojam Basantakumar Singh said that the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023 has provisions for community service. The earlier laws focused mostly on the punishment of the culprits rather than their rehabilitation, he said, adding that these new laws have a victim-centric approach, the DIPR report added.