Lawless laws: The criminal law amendments and ‘decolonisation’ as an anti-feminist goal
The three new criminal laws meant to overhaul India’s criminal justice system are set to come into force on July 1, 2024, but beyond packaging old wine in a new bottle, do even the new provisions move forward the cause of justice?
Prameela K
Published on: 23 April 2024, 11:12 am
- The three new criminal laws meant to overhaul India's criminal justice system are set to come into force on July 1, 2024, but beyond packaging old wine in a new bottle, do even the new provisions move forward the cause of justice?
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IN The Wretched of the Earth, Franz Fanon writes that decolonisation, which sets out to change the world order, is, obviously, a programme of complete disorder.
The three new criminal laws, Bhartiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita (BNS), Bhartiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita (BNSS), Bhartiya Sakshya (Second) Bill (BSB), amending the Indian Penal Code (IPC), 1860, the Code of Criminal Procedure Act, 1973 and the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 respectively, which are coming into force from July 1, 2024, are also likely to set into motion a programme of complete disorder and chaos.
However, they are not going to lead to actual decolonisation, as has been assured by various officials of the Union Home ministry, including the Union Home minister, who has repeatedly asserted that the purpose of the reforms is to decolonise criminal law and put in place laws "imbibed with the Indian soul".
