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Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday introduced bills in the Lok Sabha for the overhaul of colonial-era criminal laws. The new bills will replace Indian Penal Code (IPC) with Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Criminal Code of Civil Procedure (CrPC) with Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and the Indian Evidence Act with Bharatiya Sakshya. The highlight of the bills is the repeal of major colonial-era laws including sedition.
Amit Shah said that the sedition law now stands repealed and is being replaced with Section 150 of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Section 150 of the new act prescribes measures against those endangering sovereignty, unity, and integrity of India.
The development is significant as sedition was one of the most controversial laws of modern India with the ruling government accused of targeting its opponents under the law from time to time. The doors of the courts were knocked several times questioning the relevance of colonial-era law which was promulgated by Britishers to crush the Indian independence moment.
In May 2022, the Supreme Court ruled that the sedition law will remain on hold under the Centre completes the review of colonial relics in our legal system. The apex court asked the Centre and state government to not register any new cases under sedition.
How internet has reacted to the development?
“While the Centre says the #sedition law has been repealed, it has been brought in the form of another provision under the Bharatiya Sanhita Suraksha Bill. Section 150 of BSSB apparently accepts Law Commission’s recommendation to enhance alternative punishment to 7 yrs from 3 yrs,” Supreme Court lawyer Ashwani Dubey said.
Ashwani Dubey was pointing towards the recent recommendation of the Law Commission of India which asserted that the sedition law should not be repealed and rather made more stringent. One of the recommendations of the Law Commission was to increase the punishment under the law from 3 years to 7 years.
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