Replacing the British-era Indian Penal Code (IPC) with Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) is not a ‘welcome change’ as the law was changed without talking to all the stakeholders, according to Nobel laureate Amartya Sen.
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“Any move to usher in such a change with the help of the majority sans any discussion with all sides concerned, cannot be labelled as a welcome change, good change, and this augurs well by me,” Sen told reporters in West Bengal's Santiniketan.
The veteran economist and philosopher also stated that in a large and diverse nation like India, issues faced by two different states may not necessarily be the same.
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“There has not been any evidence that wide-ranging talks had preceded before enacting this (BNS) with all the stakeholders. Also, in this vast country, the problems faced by a state like Manipur and another state, says Madhya Pradesh, cannot be the same,” he said.
The three new criminal laws – Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BNA) – came into effect on July 1. These were passed by the Parliament in December last year, amid suspension of a record number of members from both the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha; the Members of Parliament (MPs) were suspended as they sought a statement by Union home minister Amit Shah over the Lok Sabha security breach that took place earlier that month.
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{{/usCountry}}The three new criminal laws – Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BNA) – came into effect on July 1. These were passed by the Parliament in December last year, amid suspension of a record number of members from both the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha; the Members of Parliament (MPs) were suspended as they sought a statement by Union home minister Amit Shah over the Lok Sabha security breach that took place earlier that month.
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{{/usCountry}}The legislations have replaced the colonial Indian Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and the Indian Evidence Act.
(With PTI inputs)