New Delhi: The Home Ministry has chalked out an elaborate plan to start implementing three new criminal laws from July 1. Accordingly, the officer-in-charge of each police station in all States and UTs will highlight the key features of the new laws to the stakeholders.
As per the elaborate plan of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), an event will be held on July 1 by the officer-in-charge of each police station highlighting the key features of the new criminal laws.
“The programme at the police station or a suitable place will involve women, youth, students, senior citizens, retired police officers, eminent personalities, members of Self-Help Groups, Anganwadi Centres, Local Peace Committees and also educational institutions like schools and colleges,” the MHA said.
All higher education institutions under UGC, AICTE and CFIs as well as in the States and UTs will organise day-long activities on the same day, focused group discussions, workshops, seminars, Q & A sessions, quizzes on various provisions of new criminal laws, highlighting the major transformation intended to achieve the ends of justice or Nyay with wide participation of students, faculties and other staff.
The three new bills, namely, the Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita Bill, 2023, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita 2023, and the Bharatiya Saksha (Second) Bill, 2023, were passed by both Houses of Parliament, assented to by the President Droupadi Murmu and notified in the Gazette of India on December 25, 2023.
The Central Government appointed July 1, 2024, as the date on which the provisions of these three laws shall come into force.
Following the publication of the gazette notification, the Ministry of Home Affairs held regular meetings with States and UTs.
Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla held nine review meetings with the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Ministry of Women and Child Development, Department of Higher Education, Department of School Education and Literacy, Department of Legal Affairs, iGOT Karmayogi Bharat, MyGov, BPR&D, NCRB and NIC for a publicity campaign, training and capacity building.
Bhalla held five review meetings with chief secretaries and Director Generals of States and Union Territories for a time-bound road map for the successful implementation of the laws.
“The States and UTs are fully geared up in terms of technology, capacity building and awareness generation to implement the new Criminal Laws from July 1, 2024,” the MHA said.
The Bar Council of India mandated the incorporation of the three new Criminal Laws into the curriculum of universities and Centres of Legal Education starting from the academic year 2024-25.
The NCERT would include special modules for different stages of school education, for Classes VI-VIII- by October 2024, Classes IX-X – by January 2025 & Classes XI-XII – by March 2025.
The National Centre for Law and Administration, Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie has been conducting a five-day in-service training programme Capacity Building and Sensitisation Programme on Criminal Law Reforms in India’ from June 24 to 28 for IAS and IPS Officers, Judicial Officers, Officers from State Crime Record Bureau, Prosecution Departments and State Forensic Science Laboratories.
The DoPT has asked all Ministries and Departments to include contents of New Laws in various training programmes organised by them. Suitable use may also be made of the e-courses that offer an overview of the changes introduced through new laws, which are available in the iGoT Karmayogi portal.
Read more: New Criminal Laws: 40 Lakh Workers, 5.65 Lakh Police, Prison Officials Trained To Spread Awareness
