The government has set in motion a process for making "comprehensive changes" in the framework of criminal laws to make it "people-centric" with Union Home Minister Amit Shah seeking suggestions from the Chief Justice of India, Chief Ministers and MPs among others.
Shah has written to MPs on December 31 last year requesting them to send their "valuable suggestions" regarding the amendments in the Indian Penal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Indian Evidence Act.
In his letter, he said the experience of the seven decades of Indian democracy calls for a "comprehensive review" of the criminal laws and adapt them in accordance with "contemporary needs and aspirations" of the people.
"The government of India intends to create a people-centric legal structure," he said.
He said the endeavour to bring about a "paradigm shift" in the criminal justice system would "actually be an enormous exercise of public participation, which can only be successful with the participation of all stakeholders".
Shah said he has requested the Chief Justice of India, Chief Justices of High Courts, Chief Ministers, administrators of Union Territories, Bar Councils and Law Universities to send their suggestions.
"The MHA intends to make comprehensive amendments in criminal laws after receiving suggestions from various stakeholders. Parliament is one of the three important pillars of democracy. An MP has a significant role in the lawmaking process. The suggestions of MPs will be invaluable in this exercise of comprehensive amendments in criminal laws," Shah said in his letter to MPs.
The MHA had in May 2020 set up a 'Committee for Reforms in Criminal Laws' with five members while the committee now has seven members, including a woman. The composition of the committee had attracted criticism as a group of former judges and bureaucrats, lawyers and academicians have demanded reconstitution of the panel, saying it has no representation of women, Dalits and minorities in the panel tasked with recommending wide-ranging changes in the statutes.
The panel is tasked with recommending reforms in a "principled, effective, and efficient manner which ensures the safety and security of the individual, the community and the nation and which prioritises the constitutional values of justice, dignity and the inherent worth of the individual".
The committee had embarked on an online consultation with experts to recommend wide-ranging reforms in key criminal statutes by looking into aspects like sedition, marital rape and sexual offences.
An RTI query by DH and subsequent appeal seeking a copy of Terms of Reference and deadline set for the committee were not responded to by the MHA.
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