Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Friday referred the three proposed bills that will replace the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and the Evidence Act to the Standing Committee on Home Affairs for review. He asked the committee to send its report on the bills within three months. The bills which were referred to the panel are — the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and the Bharatiya Sakshya Bill. The said bills were introduced in the Lok Sabha by Home Minister Amit Shah on August 11, reported news agency PTI.
The said bills, when passed, will replace the IPC, CrPC and the Indian Evidence Act respectively.
News agency ANI quoted a bulletin of the Rajya Sabha secretariat as saying, "Members are informed that on 18th August 2023, the Chairman, Rajya Sabha in consultation with the Speaker, Lok Sabha has referred the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023; the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023; and the Bharatiya Sakshya Bill, 2023, as introduced in the Lok Sabha and pending therein, to the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs, for examination and report within three months."
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs comprises members of both Houses — Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha. BJP member Brij Lal is the chairman of the committee, reported PTI.
Apart from these bills, another bill was recently proposed in the Rajya Sabha which has garnered a lot of attention. The Centre on August 10 tabled a contentious bill that seeks to replace the Chief Justice of India (CJI) with a cabinet minister in the panel that selects chief election commissioners and election commissioners. The Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Bill, 2023 was proposed in the house by Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal during the post-lunch session, reported news agency PTI.