In an interview to the AajTak, Home Minister Amit Shah stated that amending the IPC and the Crpc is one of the priorities of the home ministry.
Home Minister Amit Shah again reiterated his government’s commitment of amending the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the CrPC to make it more effective and people friendly. Several officers of the Indian police service along with other people have been demanding certain changes in the criminal laws in order to make it more compatible with the Indian society.
Notably, amid demand by members for a separate law to curb mob lynching, Home Minister Amit Shah had said in Rajya Sabha that the government had set up a committee to suggest necessary amendments in the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) to deal with it.
Responding to a series of queries during Question Hour, Shah had stated that he had also written to all state Chief Ministers and Governors to send recommendations on making changes to IPC and CrPC after consulting with experienced investigating officers and public prosecutors.
Amit Shah had announced that the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) should work towards amending various provisions of the IPC and Cr.P.C. after seeking suggestions from people across the country. As per ‘The Hindu’ a senior government official had said that rebooting the Indian Penal Code, 1860 was necessary because the Code introduced by the British is primarily in the spirit of “master and servant.”
With this initiative, the Home Ministry would herald a much awaited and much needed change in the criminal jurisprudence of the country. The fact remains that the IPC is replete with provisions which were enacted in the historical context of the interests of the British Raj, while some provisions are signs of the Victorian Morality which we need not carry in our statute books any longer. Over the years Supreme Court has repealed many outdated sections of the IPC and CrPC, amending it would be a boon for the police and criminal jurisprudence in the country.
Police, NGOs and courts too on several occasions have observed about the need of amendment of the criminal laws in the country, with incidents of rape and murder increasing rapidly, it is the right time for government to amend these laws. It is has been found that it is quite difficult for the police to initiate proceedings against criminals with various obsolete provisions of criminal laws, which some time works in the favour of the criminals only.
