Opposition questions urgency in adoption of draft bills to replace IPC, CrPC, Evidence Act

Opposition in Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs has expressed ir concerns regarding expeditious option of draft reports on three bills aimed at replacing IPC, CrPC, and Evidence Act.

A meeting has been scheduled for later this week to dress this matter.

committee, responsible for examining Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and Bharatiya Sakshya Bills, has notified its members through a formal notice that draft reports will be opted on October 27.

According to sources, at least two opposition MPs have written to chairperson of panel, raising apprehensions about scrutiny process of bills. y have also urged chairperson to postpone meeting.

Questioning urgency, both MPs have expressed ir dissatisfaction with limited time y were given to review three reports. se reports were only provided to m on late evening of October 21.

Members of panel belonging to opposition parties within I.N.D.I.A bloc are planning to submit dissent notes against option of reports. It is worth noting that out of 30-member panel, BJP holds 16 seats.

Opposition MPs, who have previously raised concerns about selection of experts for examination, have now criticized short notice given for meeting. y argue that several experts suggested by m have yet to be called.

In a letter dressed to panel chairperson, one of opposition MPs highlighted "alarming lack" of consultation with stakeholders. y also shared a list of experts recommended by m for examination. This list includes prominent names such as former Chief Justice of India U U Lalit, retired Supreme Court judge Justice Man B Lokur, eminent jurist Fali Nariman, Senior vocate Rebecca John, and vocate Menaka Guruswamy.

Anor opposition MP, requesting a postponement of panel's meeting, pointed out that draft report was sent during midst of festivals, despite next Parliament session being at least four weeks away.

Meanwhile, TMC MPs within panel have expressed ir concern over timing of meeting, as it falls a day before Lakshmi Puja, a significant celebration in Bengal a few days after Durga Puja.

"It shows that BJP does not understand anything about culture of Bengal," said a TMC MP, who is a part of parliamentary panel.

Raising concern about bills, an opposition MP alleged that se proposed laws which are meant to replace colonial-era procedural laws are "even more colonial".

30-member Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs has 16 BJP MPs including chairperson, four of Congress, two each of DMK, TMC, JD(U) and BJD, and one of Shiv Sena.

It was given three months to examine three bills and submit its report after Home Minister Amit Shah h requested Lok Sabha chair to refer bills to panel for threbare examination. In 11 meetings held so far, panel took views of various experts, including Law Commission.

IPC and Evidence Act are colonial-era procedural laws that form backbone of Indian criminal jurisprudence along with CrPC. 

(With PTI Inputs)