New Delhi: A meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs is scheduled to convene on October 27 in the national capital to consider and adopt the draft reports on the three bills that seek to replace the Indian Penal Code, the CrPC and the Evidence Act.


'The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023', 'The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023' and 'The Bharatiya Sakshya Bill 2023' were introduced in Parliament during the Monsoon Session of 2023. The objective of these bills was to replace three British-era laws -- the Indian Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure, and the Indian Evidence Act, respectively.


While introducing the bills, Home Minister Amit Shah said the soul of these three new laws will be to protect all the rights given by the Constitution to the citizens. "British-era laws were made to strengthen and protect their rule and their purpose was to punish, not to give justice," he said.


"We (government) are going to bring changes in both these fundamental aspects. The soul of these three new laws will be to protect all the rights given by the Constitution to Indian citizens. The objective will not be to punish anyone but to give justice and in this process, punishment will be given where it is required to create a sense of prevention of crime," Shah stressed.


According to the Home Minister, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita Bill, which will replace CrPC, will now have 533 sections. "A total of 160 sections have been changed, nine new sections have been added and nine sections have been repealed," he had stated.


The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Bill, which will replace the IPC, will have 356 sections instead of the earlier 511 sections, the minister said. He further stated that 175 sections have been amended, 8 new sections have been added and 22 sections have been repealed.


The Bharatiya Sakshya Bill, which will replace the Evidence Act, will now have 170 sections instead of the earlier 167. Shah said 23 sections have been changed, one new section has been added and five repealed.