Congress Slams Passage of New Criminal Laws Amid Mass Suspensions of Opposition MPs

He stated, “But the truth is that the new criminal laws that come into force today were passed forcibly by suspending 146 MPs. INDIA will not allow this ‘bulldozer law’ on Parliamentary proceedings anymore.”

Kharge was referring to the Winter Session of Parliament, which saw the suspension of nearly two-thirds of the Opposition MPs in both Houses.

The mass suspensions occurred amid the Opposition’s protest against a Parliament security breach. The new criminal laws were passed virtually in the absence of the Opposition.

Senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram echoed Kharge’s sentiments, stating that 90-99 percent of the “so-called new laws” are a cut, copy, and paste job. “A task that could have been completed with a few amendments to the existing three laws has been turned into a wasteful exercise,” he said. Acknowledging a few improvements, he mentioned these changes could have been introduced as amendments.

“On the other hand, there are several retrograde provisions. Some changes are prima facie unconstitutional. MPs who were members of the Standing Committee have poured over the provisions and written detailed dissent notes to the three Bills. The government did not rebut or answer any of the criticisms in the dissent notes. There was no worthwhile debate in Parliament,” Chidambaram added.

Chidambaram also highlighted that law scholars, Bar Associations, judges, and lawyers have pointed out significant deficiencies in the three new laws through numerous articles and seminars.

“No one in government has cared to answer the questions,” he said. “It is another case of bulldozing three existing laws and replacing them with three new Bills without adequate discussion and debate. The initial impact will be to throw the administration of criminal justice into disarray. In the medium term, numerous challenges to the laws will be instituted in various Courts. In the long term, further changes must be made to the three laws to bring them in conformity with the Constitution and the modern principles of criminal jurisprudence,” Chidambaram concluded.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who led the law revision exercise, defended the new laws, stating that they “are made by Indians, for Indians, and by an Indian Parliament, marking the end of colonial criminal justice laws.”

He emphasized that these laws were not just about changing nomenclature but bringing about an overhaul.

“The soul, body, and spirit of the new laws are Indian,” he asserted.

Shah highlighted that while the colonial-era laws focused on penalties, these new laws prioritize justice.