Congress leader and Member of Parliament Manish Tewari on Monday (July 1) said implementation of new criminal laws should be stopped and the Parliament of India should conduct a re-examination. The new laws, which came into effect on Monday, have replaced colonial-era criminal law and are likely to result in a massive overhaul of processes in criminal justice system in the country. Tewari said that the new laws laid foundation for a police state in the country.
Tewari, a former union minister, took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
"The new criminal Laws that came into effect from 12 midnight July 1st 2024 - ( Today) lay the foundations of turning India into a Police State. Their implementation must be stopped forthwith and Parliament must re-examine them...," he wrote.
In another post, Tewari accused the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government of 'rampant misuse' of investigation agencies which he said put India's 'democratic system in jeopardy' as it 'especially' targeted opposition leaders.
The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) replaced the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita has replaced the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam has replaced Indian Evidence Act.
IPC, CrPC and India Evidence Act are colonial-era laws.
First case registered
On the day the three new laws replaced the ones passed during colonial times, police in Gwalior registered a case under the new laws, informed Home Minister Amit Shah.
It was reported earlier that first FIR under new laws was made in Delhi but Shah said it was not so.
"...The first case (under the new laws) was registered at a Police station in Gwalior. It was a case of theft, someone's motorcycle was stolen. The case was registered at 12.10 am...As far as the case against a vendor (registered at a Police Station in Delhi) is concerned, there were provisions for the same earlier too and it is not a new provision. Police used the provision to review it and dismissed that case," said Shah in a press conference.
The three laws were passed by Parliament of India in December, 2023. A controversy had erupted as a large number of MPs were suspended close to the passage of the laws.
