Supreme Court rejects petition against new criminal laws
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New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a public interest litigation challenging three new laws that collectively overhaul India's criminal justice system.
The petitioner, lawyer Vishal Tiwari, withdrew the plea after the court showed no interest in considering it.
Tiwari's petition sought a stay on the implementation of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, which are set to replace the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), and the Indian Evidence Act, respectively, on July 1. The petition also called for the formation of an expert committee to examine the viability of the three laws.
A vacation bench of Justices Bela M. Trivedi and Pankaj Mithal dismissed the petition. Justice Trivedi noted that the laws had not yet come into force, while Justice Mithal criticized the petition, stating it had been drafted "in a casual manner," reported Live Law.
In February, the Supreme Court had dismissed a similar petition challenging the three new laws.
The laws were passed during the Winter Session of Parliament on December 21, when many Opposition MPs were suspended. A total of 100 Opposition MPs in the Lok Sabha and 46 in the Rajya Sabha were suspended during the session for disrupting proceedings to demand a discussion on the December 13 security breach in the Lok Sabha chamber.
On December 26, President Droupadi Murmu gave her assent to the three new laws.