The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced today that three new criminal laws, namely Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita, and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, will be in effect starting July 1, 2024.
These laws were introduced by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on December 12 in the Lok Sabha. They are intended to replace the existing British-era criminal laws, including the Indian Penal Code (IPC), 1860; the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), 1973; and the Indian Evidence Act, 1872. The bills were passed during the Winter session of Parliament and received President Droupadi Murmu's assent on December 25 last year.
However, a specific provision, Section 106(2), related to "hit and run" cases, has been temporarily suspended. This section prescribes a punishment of "0-10 years" for causing death by rash and negligent driving of a vehicle without reporting it to the authorities immediately after the incident.
Transporters and drivers nationwide had previously gone on strike to protest against the provisions of Section 106(2) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The current punishment for causing death by negligence, under Section 304A of the Indian Penal Code, is two years imprisonment and a fine, and this will be replaced by the new Sanhita.
