Process of revising colonial-era laws formidable task: Law Minister Meghwal

Chandigarh: The process of abolishing archaic terminology and concepts deeply entrenched in colonial-era laws such as the Indian Penal Code, 1860, was a formidable task, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal has said.

He was addressing ministers, MLAs and senior Haryana government officials among others during a courtesy call on Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar at his official residence here on Monday.

Earlier this month, Union Home Minister Amit Shah introduced three Bills in the Lok Sabha to replace the Indian Penal Code, 1860, the Criminal Procedure Act, 1898, and the Indian Evidence Act, 1872.

The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Bill, 2023; the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) Bill, 2023; and the Bharatiya Sakshya (BS) Bill, 2023, will replace the colonial-era laws.

Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar has referred the three proposed laws to the Standing Committee on Home Affairs for examination and asked it to submit its report within three months.

Touching upon the colonial-era laws, Meghwal said the process of abolishing archaic terminology and concepts deeply entrenched in these statutes was a formidable task, according to a Haryana government statement.

He also highlighted the critical role played by Union Home Minister Shah in spearheading this transformative legislative effort, aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's directive.

The law minister said that after extensive analysis, it was found that these laws are related to the Irish system and it was necessary to adapt them in line with today's situation, the statement said.

Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala, Urban Local Bodies Minister Kamal Gupta, Agriculture Minister Jai Prakash Dalal, Minister of State Sandeep Singh, Chief Secretary Sanjeev Kaushal, Additional Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Amit Agrawal were among those present during Meghwal's visit.