New Delhi: Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to defer the implementation of the three criminal laws which will come into force from July 1. 

In 2023, the Parliament had passed the bills to replace the British-era criminal laws. The new laws are the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya Act. The laws will replace Indian Penal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Indian Evidence Act of 1872, respectively. 

In a letter to PM Modi, Banerjee wrote that the "matter deserves review now" as the bills were passed by the Centre "with absolutely no debate."

"That day, almost one hundred members of the Lok Sabha had been suspended and a total 146 MPs of the both Houses' were thrown out of the Parliament. The Bills were passed in an authoritarian manner in that dark hour of democracy. Matter deserves review now. Indeed, I urge your esteemed office now to consider at least a deferment of the implementation date. Reasons are two-fold: ethical, and practical," the letter read.

She further wrote,"Fresh Parliamentary review of these attempts would demonstrate a commitment to democratic principles and foster greater transparency and accountability in the legislative process." 

The new laws aim to provide speedy justice to the citizens of the country and will strengthen the judicial and court management system.