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Kolkata, July 31 (HS). A proposal to review three new criminal laws was introduced in the state assembly on Wednesday by West Bengal Law Minister Malay Ghatak and other members. BJP members opposed the proposal, saying that the new laws have been implemented after consultation with various sections of the society and Trinamool Congress members have brought it for political purposes.
The resolution urged the Central government to review these new laws to ensure good governance and protect fundamental rights and principles of natural justice, based on the consensus of views of jurists, social activists and citizens.
These three new criminal laws – Indian Justice Code, Indian Civil Defence Code and Indian Evidence Act, have come into force across the country from July 1. They have replaced the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Criminal Procedure Code (CRPS) and Indian Evidence Act.
Introducing the resolution, Malay Ghatak said a detailed examination of these three new laws by the West Bengal government and several jurists of the state had found that many of their provisions are “more draconian and anti-people than the old laws”.
He said these three bills were passed in the Lok Sabha on December 20 last year when 147 MPs were suspended from Parliament, and were passed in the Rajya Sabha the next day without adequate discussion.
Shankar Ghosh, the BJP chief whip in the assembly, said the motion was brought with a political motive. He said there was ample discussion on the new bills in various states, high courts, judicial academies, law universities and among MPs and MLAs as well as some members of the public before the bills were passed in Parliament.
Ghosh said that the IPC and CrPC were created by the British rulers to punish Indians and the BJP government at the Centre wants to give justice to the people of the country through the new laws.
The motion was also moved by state Finance (Independent Charge) Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya and Trinamool members Nirmal Ghosh and Ashok Kumar Deb. It was supported by party MLAs Apurba Sarkar, Mohammad Ali and Pannalal Haldar.
Apart from Ghosh, BJP members Ambika Roy and Arup Kumar Das also opposed the resolution. Roy said a resolution on the same issue was earlier moved and passed in the state assembly on December 5, 2023, before the bills were passed in Parliament.
Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee said the motion moved in December was at a time when the previous NDA government was in power at the Centre and a new government has taken over after the Lok Sabha elections this year.
Responding to the claims of the BJP MLAs, Banerjee said that the previous proposal was regarding the bills which were yet to be passed in Parliament and the current proposal was about new laws.
