New criminal laws mockery of Constitution, enacted without consultation: Teesta Setalvad

Mumbai: The three new laws set to replace British-era ones from July 1 nationwide are a "mockery of the Indian Constitution", claimed civil rights activist and journalist Teesta Setalvad here on Friday.

The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023 and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2023, which will come into effect from July 1, will replace the Indian Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure and the Indian Evidence Act, respectively.

"These laws mock the sovereignty enshrined in the Constitution. A detailed and elaborate consultation was necessary before these laws were passed but that did not happen," Setalvad said while speaking at an event on the topic 'India's New Criminal Laws: Reform or Repression?' Certain provisions of the law that were amended after human rights and legal movements have been reintroduced in the name of decolonization, she claimed.

These laws "militate against participating democracy and the democratic fabric of the nation" and "aspire towards Hindu rashtra", Setalvad asserted.

Others speakers at the event, Vrinda Grover and Vijay Hiremath, too opposed the new laws.

Emphasising the danger of "routinisation of extraordinary provisions", Grover said some safeguards in the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) will no longer be available.

The new laws are more draconian than the existing ones, Hiremath said.