Mumbai, Jul 2 (IANS): The Nationalist Congress Party-SP on Monday called for a wider debate and discussions on the new laws which came into effect from July 1, beginning a new era in the country's criminal justice system.
The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) has replaced the Indian Penal Code, 1860, while the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) has replaced the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA) comes in place of the Indian Evidence Act, 1872.
NCP-SP President Sharad Pawar said that the laws were changed after suspending nearly 150 opposition MPs in the Lok Sabha last year after a ruckus.
"No one can deny the fact that the laws were changed by suspending the 150 MPs of the opposition parties from the Parliament last year… This shows a lack of discussion and suggestions," he said.
NCP-SP Working President Supriya Sule said that the new laws were railroaded in the Parliament without any discussion and they have unfortunately come into effect from Monday, posing "a significant threat to civil liberties and democratic freedoms".
The Maratha strongman pointed out that although change is necessary with time, more concrete steps could have been taken by holding wide-ranging discussions to ensure more transparency. "But it would be wrong to expect a discussion from the rulers who are possessed by the mindset of implementing a one-point programme," Pawar said.
"By expanding police authority, extending remand periods, permitting solitary confinement and diminishing judicial oversight, the government is establishing a repressive police state," Sule added.
She said that the "soul of Indian democracy is at stake" and "we cannot afford to remain silent", as she urged the new Lok Sabha to urgently reconsider these criminal laws to ensure that they align with the principles enshrined in the Constitution.
NCP-SP national spokesperson Clyde Crasto said that while certain laws need to be reviewed, reworked and implemented as per the needs of time, in the new laws, there are things that could pose a threat to civil liberties and democratic freedom. He cited the examples of the extension of remand period, and solitary confinement which could potentially give undue advantage to an entity, as he said that the 18th Lok Sabha must ensure a review of the whole thing.