On Monday, three new criminal laws came into effect nationwide: the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam. These laws replace the colonial-era Indian Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure, and Indian Evidence Act.

Delhi’s Kamla Market Police Station registered the first FIR under the new criminal laws on Monday against a street vendor.

The case was registered under Section 285 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for obstructing a footbridge at the New Delhi Railway Station.

Before the laws took effect, posters explaining the new laws were displayed at various locations, especially police stations, across the national capital.

Posters with information about the new laws were observed at police stations including Connaught Place, Tughlak Road, Tughlaqabad, and others.

The posters included details about the laws and explained the changes they would introduce.

The new criminal laws will overhaul India’s criminal justice system and abolish laws from the colonial era.

The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita will replace the Indian Penal Code, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita will replace the Code of Criminal Procedure, and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam will replace the Indian Evidence Act, all of which were laws from the British colonial era.

The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita has 358 sections, compared to the Indian Penal Code’s 511 sections. It introduces 20 new crimes and increases imprisonment sentences for 33 offenses. Fines have been raised for 83 crimes, and mandatory minimum punishments are mandated for 23 offenses.

Community service penalties are imposed for six crimes, and 19 sections have been repealed from the Act. A new chapter titled ‘Crimes against Women and Children’ addresses sexual offenses, proposing amendments for rape involving women under 18 years old.

Provisions for gang rape of minors align with the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO), with life imprisonment or the death penalty possible for girls under 18. The Sanhita stipulates 20 years to life imprisonment for all gang rape cases and introduces a new category for gang rape of women under 18.

The Sanhita includes specific penalties for deceitful sexual acts or false promises of marriage.

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