BAR COUNCIL OF INDIA’S APPEAL TO LAWYERS’ BODIES: REFRAIN FROM PROTEST AGAINST NEW CRIMINAL LAWS

The Bar Council of India (BCI) on Wednesday appealed to all Bar Associations across the country to refrain from any form of agitation or protests against the three newly introduced criminal laws that will come into force on July 1.

The three news laws — Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA) — will replace the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), and the Indian Evidence Act, respectively.

“After careful consideration of these demands and concerns, the Bar Council of India requests all Bar Associations to refrain from any form of agitation or protest at this juncture,” the BCI said in its June 26 press release after taking into consideration different complaints from Bar Associations and State Bar Councils nationwide.

As an alternative, the BCI said it would initiate discussions with the Centre through Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal to convey the legal fraternity's concerns.

Saying that Bar Associations have signalled their intent to engage in indefinite agitations and protests unless the new laws are suspended and subjected to a thorough nationwide discussion, including a comprehensive review by Parliament, the BCI added that several provisions of these laws were being perceived as “anti-people, more draconian than the colonial-era laws they intend to replace”.

“Additionally, the BCI requests all Bar Associations and Senior Advocates to submit specific provisions of the new laws they deem unconstitutional or detrimental to facilitate a productive dialogue with the government,” the body said.

Recalling the assurances given by Union Home Minister Amit Shah at the International Lawyers Conference organised by the BCI in September last year, the BCI said that the government had expressed its willingness to amend “any provision of these laws” if valid reasons and suggestions were presented.

It also proposed to set up a committee of senior advocates, former judges, social activists, and journalists to propose necessary amendments to the new laws.

The BCI also said that several senior advocates like Supreme Court Bar Association president Kapil Sibal, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Mukul Rohatgi, and Indira Jaising, and advocates from several high courts and trial courts, had voiced their opposition to the new laws.

Notably, the BCI's statement was released on the same day that the Bar Council of West Bengal announced July 1 as a 'Black Day' to protest the coming into force of the three laws.

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2024-06-27T13:24:51Z dg43tfdfdgfd