Thousands of lawyers in Delhi, India protest three new criminal laws News
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Thousands of lawyers in Delhi, India protest three new criminal laws

Thousands of lawyers in the Indian capital city of Delhi protested against provisions of three new criminal laws on Monday. The lawyers said the new criminal laws are draconian and in opposition to litigants’ interests.

The protest is primarily a response to The Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2023, also known as the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Bill, 2023, which introduced two new provisions: section 86 which defines “cruelty against a woman” and section 73 which makes it punishable to publish court proceedings without permission.

Chairman of the Coordination Committee of All District Court Bar Associations of Delhi Jagdeep Vats and secretary general of the coordination committee Atul Kumar Sharma signed the committee’s circular, which expressed concerns over several provisions, including those related to remand and the recording of evidence in police stations. They stated that these provisions compromise the principles of justice. Moreover, the circular criticized judicial interference in the renovation of lawyers’ chambers, stating it infringes on the privacy rights of lawyers. A minister of Karnataka state HK Patil also said that there are loopholes in the three new criminal laws.

The strike, organized by the coordination committee, followed a meeting the coordination committee held in Tis Hazari Court on Thursday. The coordination committee resolved in the meeting to abstain from judicial work on Monday to protest against the provisions. Spokesperson for the All District Courts Bar Associations of Delhi N.C. Sharma said that lawyers from seven district courts around the capital participated in Monday’s strike.

Patil previously announced on July 5 Karnataka’s intention to introduce 23-25 amendments to the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita before their enforcement in the state. The amendments are based on Karnataka’s feedback to the Central government last year in response to these legislative proposals. Proposed revisions included amendments aimed at addressing contentious provisions perceived as undermining democratic freedoms, such as those criminalizing hunger strikes.

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