Centre brought 3 laws without consulting Law Commission: Chandrima
Kolkata: While taking part in the discussion on the resolution regarding three new laws introduced by the Centre, Bengal Finance minister Chandrima Bhattacharya on the floor of the Assembly on Wednesday alleged that the Narendra Modi government had brought these laws without consulting the Law Commission of India.
“The three new laws have been framed bypassing the Law Commission of India. These Bills were not sent to the law commission and no opinion was sought. Even the review committee that they had constituted had one lawyer while the rest of the members were academicians. It is a deliberate attempt to enter upon the state list. There may be an attempt to manipulate the state police.
Calling the three new laws ~ Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023 (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023 and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2023 (BSA) “draconian”, Bhattacharya said in the Assembly that the Centre passed the bills in the Parliament when 147 MPs belonging to Opposition parties were suspended. They were later passed in the Rajya Sabha without any discussion. She felt the need to scrutinize the three new laws if they infringe upon states’ power.
Incidentally, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023 (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023 and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2023 (BSA) have replaced Indian Penal Code 1860, Criminal Procedure Code 1973 and Indian Evidence Act 1872, respectively From July 1. The senior cabinet minister Bhattacharya said that the Modi government deliberately removed the word “India” from the names of these old laws as he was obsessed with the INDIA bloc. She also pointed out that the review committee that the Bengal government had set up, submitted its report and a detailed discussion will take place on it. It will be seen if the state government can bring amendments in relation to these three laws.
Bengal govt had formed a seven-member committee to suggest, within three months, whether any state-specific changes were required in the newly enacted criminal laws that have replaced British-era ones from July 1. The government had also asked the committee to engage with domain experts and seek public opinion on the subject. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee had earlier urged PM Narendra Modi to “review” the new laws.
