Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar Criticizes P Chidambaram’s Remarks on New Criminal Laws
Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], July 6: Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar condemned the remarks made by former Union Minister and Congress leader P Chidambaram about three new criminal laws. Chidambaram had described the laws as being drafted by “part timers.”
Dhankhar, speaking at the 12th convocation of the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) in Thiruvananthapuram, called Chidambaram’s comments an “inexcusable insult to the wisdom of parliament.” He questioned, “Are we part timers in parliament?” and expressed his strong disapproval of such a narrative.
Dhankhar highlighted that every Member of Parliament had the chance to contribute to the debate on these laws, but Chidambaram and other Opposition leaders did not participate. He criticized Chidambaram for not fulfilling his constitutional duty and urged him to withdraw his “derogatory, defamatory and highly insulting observations.”
The three new criminal laws, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023, and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2023, came into effect on July 1. These laws aim to replace the Indian Penal Code of 1860, the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1973, and the Indian Evidence Act of 1872. The new laws include several changes and additions to the previous legal framework.
