West Bengal Forms Special Committee to Review New Criminal Laws
The West Bengal government has established a special seven-member committee to scrutinize three new criminal laws, including the Bhartiya Nayay Sanhita, before they are implemented in the state.
Committee Members
The committee includes:
- Asim Kumar Roy
- Malay Ghatak
- Chandrima Bhattacharya
- LD Advocate General Kishore Dutta
- Sanjay Basu
- West Bengal Police DG Rajiv Kumar
- Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal
The committee can engage academic experts, senior advocates, research assistants, and other legal experts to seek their views. It can also carry out public consultations.
Committee’s Objectives
The committee will:
- Suggest state-specific amendments to the three criminal laws
- Consider if the names of the laws need to be changed at the state level
- Address any other necessary matters
New Criminal Laws
The new laws, effective from July 1, 2024, include:
- Recording FIRs within three days of electronic complaints
- Framing charges within sixty days from the first hearing
- Introducing trial in absentia for proclaimed offenders after ninety days from charge framing
- Mandating courts to pronounce judgments within 45 days after trials conclude
- Uploading judgments within seven days of pronouncement
These measures aim to expedite criminal proceedings and ensure timely justice.
Doubts Revealed
West Bengal -: West Bengal is a state in the eastern part of India. It is known for its rich culture, history, and the city of Kolkata, which is its capital.
Special Committee -: A special committee is a group of people chosen to do a specific task. In this case, the task is to review new criminal laws.
Criminal Laws -: Criminal laws are rules made by the government to keep people safe and to punish those who do bad things like stealing or hurting others.
Bhartiya Nayay Sanhita -: Bhartiya Nayay Sanhita is a new set of laws in India that aims to make the justice system faster and more efficient.
Legal and Police Officials -: Legal officials are people who work with laws, like judges and lawyers. Police officials are people who work to keep us safe and catch those who break the law.
Consult Experts and the Public -: This means the committee can ask people who know a lot about laws and also regular people for their opinions and advice.
FIR -: FIR stands for First Information Report. It is a document that the police create when someone reports a crime.
Pronouncing Judgments -: This means the judge will announce the decision or verdict in a court case.
