New Delhi: After the implementation of three new criminal laws from July 1, the designation of the judges of the lower courts of Delhi has also changed. According to a notice issued by Delhi High Court Registrar Kanwaljit Arora, the Metropolitan Magistrate will be called Judicial Magistrate under Section 9(2) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023. Likewise, the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate will be called Chief Judicial Magistrate and the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate will be called Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate under the new criminal law.
According to the High Court order, no change has been made in the jurisdiction of the Judicial Magistrate courts. The courts of Chief Judicial Magistrate, Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate and Judicial Magistrate First Class of judicial districts will exercise the powers of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate and Metropolitan Magistrate for cases already registered under the old Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 and cases registered after July 1 under Section 251 (2) of the Indian Civil Security Code.
The three new criminal laws—Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam and Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita—came into effect in the country from today July 1. The British era IPC(1860) and the Evidence Act(1872) have been replaced by the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam while as the Code of Criminal Procedure 1973 has been replaced by the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. The three new criminal laws were passed in the Parliament by the previous NDA government in December last year.
