Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita

Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita
Parliament of India
Long title A Bill to consolidate and amend the law relating to Criminal Procedure.
Citation	Bill No. 122 of 2023
Territorial extent	India
Passed by	Lok Sabha
Passed	20 December 2023
Passed by	Rajya Sabha
Passed	21 December 2023
Assented to by	President of India
Assented to	25 December 2023
Legislative history
First chamber: Lok Sabha
Bill title	The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita, 2023
Introduced by	Home Minister, Amit Shah
Introduced	12 December 2023
Committee responsible	Scrutiny Panel of the Parliament
Passed	20 December 2023
Voting summary	Majority Voice voted for Minority Voice voted against
Second chamber: Rajya Sabha
Bill title	The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita, 2023
Received from the Lok Sabha	20 December 2023
Member(s) in charge	Home Minister, Amit Shah
Passed with amendments	21 December 2023
Voting summary	Majority Voice voted for Minority Voice voted against
Final stages
Finally passed both chambers	21 December 2023
Repeals
Criminal Procedure Code
Related legislation
Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Bharatiya Sakshya Act, 2023
Status: Unknown

The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (IAST: Bhāratīya Nāgarik Surakśa Saṃhitā; lit. 'Indian Civil Protection Code'), is the main legislation on procedure for administration of substantive criminal law in India.^[1][2][3]

Background and timeline

On 11 August 2023, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita Bill, 2023 was introduced by Amit Shah, Minister of Home Affairs, in Lok Sabha.^[4][5][6]

On 12 December 2023, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita Bill, 2023 was withdrawn.

On 12 December 2023-2024, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita Bill, 2023 was introduced in Lok Sabha.^[7]

On 20 December 2023, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita Bill, 2023 was passed in Lok Sabha.^[8]

On 21 December 2023, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita Bill, 2023 was passed in Rajya Sabha.

On 25 December 2023, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita Bill, 2023 has received the assent of the President of India.^[9]

Changes

The BNSS makes a number of changes to the CrPC, including:

• Consolidating and simplifying the law: The BNSS consolidates and simplifies the law by repealing and amending a number of provisions of the CrPC.^[10]
• Strengthening the rights of the accused: The BNSS strengthens the rights of the accused by providing for safeguards, such as the right to a lawyer of choice during interrogation, though not throughout the interrogation, and the right to a fair trial. Every police officer or other person arresting any person without warrant shall forthwith communicate to him full particulars of the offence for which he is arrested or other grounds for such arrest. When any person is arrested, he shall be examined by a medical officer in the service of the Central Government or a State Government, and in case the medical officer is not available, by a registered medical practitioner soon after the arrest is made.^[11]
• Improving the efficiency of the criminal justice system: The BNSS seeks to improve the efficiency of the criminal justice system by streamlining procedures and reducing delays.^[12]

The following are some of the key changes made in the BNSS:

• Arrest: The BNSS expands the grounds for arrest and allows for arrest without a warrant in a wider range of cases.
• Bail: The BNSS makes it more difficult for the police to oppose bail and allows for bail in a wider range of cases.
• Investigation: The BNSS gives the police more powers to investigate crimes and requires them to complete investigations within a specified time period.
• Trial: The BNSS streamlines the trial process and requires courts to dispose of cases within a specified time period.

See also

• Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita
• Bharatiya Sakshya Act, 2023

References