Mamata urges Shah to build consensus on criminal-penal laws among stakeholders

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday requested Union Home Minister Amit Shah to build consensus on new criminalpenal laws among stakeholders rather than rushing themIn a letter to Shah Banerjee also claimed that overhauling the existing criminalpenal laws will have farreaching implications on polityThe letter was sent on a day when the senior BJP leader attended a party rally in Kolkata and attacked the ruling Trinamool Congress on various issuesI do hope that keeping the sensitivity of the subject in mind you will kindly attempt to arrive at a consensusbuilding amongst all stakeholders on the proposed bills rather than rushing to pass them in their present form which has potential implications of serious nature in future Banerjee saidThe Centre has brought three bills seeking to replace the Indian Penal Code IPC The Code of Criminal Procedure 1973 and the Indian Evidence Act 1872 with Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam respectivelyI strongly believe that these are very significant legislations that form the bedrock of our penalcriminal jurisprudence As such the proposed overhauling of the existing criminalpenal statutes and replacing them with new statutes is bound to have farreaching longterm implications on our polity Banerjee said in the letter to ShahThe suggested changes will also affect the public life of India in multiple ways she assertedThe West Bengal chief minister said that extreme caution and due diligence should precede any change in the existing statutes and this can only be achieved through wideranging consultations and discussions with all stakeholders before Parliament legislates on such issuesIn my considered opinion before we embark on any such exercise which permanently changes the criminalpenal landscape of the country detailed views of all sections of stakeholders eg jurists public activists human rights workers general public etc is taken in order to create consensually accepted platform Failure on our part may have very adverse implications on our polity the letter readA parliamentary panel which examined the three proposed criminal laws has noted that the legislations are muchawaited and muchneeded reforms as well as imperative for smooth and transparent functioning of the legal systemThe Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs has recommended that the government retain IPC section 377 provisions related to carnal intercourse with minors and acts of bestiality in the proposed Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita BNSIt also suggested that the IPC provision related to adultery should be retained in the Sanhita by making it genderneutral for the sake of protecting the institution of marriageThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever