How Do BNS & Other New Criminal Laws Take Effect, What Happens To Old Cases

India’s criminal justice system underwent a massive overhaul on July 1, 2024, when Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA) kicked in. 

A poster on the implementation of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, put up by Delhi Police to raise awareness about the three new criminal laws, which kicked in this month. (Image Source: PTI)

Source : PTI

Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita: The Indian Penal Code (IPC), 1860, the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), 1973, and the Indian Evidence Act, 1872, served as the bedrock of the criminal justice system in the country for decades. But from July 1, 2024, these laws were replaced by the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA), respectively. Their adoption has been steeped in controversy, as well as questions surrounding certain