Opportunity to replace, redraft colonial criminal laws "wasted": Chidambaram

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Thursday criticised the three key bills brought by the government that seek to overhaul the criminal justice system, saying the opportunity to replace and redraft the colonial laws has been "wasted".

The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed three key bills -- the Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya (Second) Bill -- that seek to overhaul the criminal justice system.

In a post on X, former home minister Chidambaram said, "Has the government really dumped the British 'colonial' criminal laws? Consider the fact that 90-95% of IPC, 95% of CrPC and 99% of Evidence Act have been cut, copied and pasted in the three Bills: can anyone deny or debate that fact?" "In fact, the government has immortalised Macaulay and Fitz Stephen who drafted the original IPC and Evidence Act," he claimed.

The opportunity to replace and redraft the laws has been wasted, Chidambaram said.

The three bills will replace the colonial-era Indian Penal Code, 1860; the Code of Criminal Procedure Act, 1898; and the Indian Evidence Act of 1872, respectively.