PIB Srinagar organises media workshop ‘Vartalap’: ‘Three new legislations aimed at decolonising criminal laws of British era’

Srinagar, June 27: Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India, Srinagar organised a Media Workshop ‘Vartalap’ on the three new legislations ‘Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita’ (BNS), ‘Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita’ (BNSS) and ‘Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam’ (BSA) of 2023.
The ‘Vartalap’ was organised to sensitise the media in Kashmir about the spirit and intent behind the three new criminal laws, the PIB said in a statement issued here.
During the workshop, the speakers explained the rationale for the introduction of these laws and highlighted some of the important departures from the Indian Penal Code, the Criminal Procedure Code and the Indian Evidence Act.
In his welcome address, Qazi Salman Ibrahim, Joint Director, PIB Srinagar said that the main aim of these legislations is to ‘decolonize’ criminal laws of the British era.
Speaking on the occasion, Dar Rashid, Senior Prosecuting Officer, J&K Prosecution Services said, the three new laws ‘Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita’, ‘Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita’ and ‘Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam will give a new direction to the criminal justice system in India.
Describing these laws as a shift from an archaic colonial system, he said that these new laws had been designed and drafted by the Indians for the Indians and the system created by the Indian Parliament with the objective towards ensuring justice.
Advocate Sheikh Umar Farooq, Senior Advocate, J&K High Court in his address said these new laws are in line with the Indian ethos and have made a significant shift towards becoming more victim-centric.
“The victims’ rights have been defined and protected in the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 in multiple ways which make victims active participants of criminal proceedings rather than merely passive observers of the same,” he said
Advocate Naveed Gul, Senior Advocate, J&K High Court in his address said, “The three new criminal laws are an endeavour to make the criminal justice system more accessible, accountable, credible, and justice driven. With over 600 amendments, additions, and deletions, the criminal laws have been pushed into a transparent, modern, and technologically adept framework, equipped to address contemporary challenges that rig the criminal justice dispensation of India.”
At the end of the workshop, a question-answer session was organised where different queries were raised by the participants which were answered by the panellists.
The proceedings of the workshop were conducted by Tariq Ahmed Rather, Deputy Director, PIB Srinagar. The media workshop was attended by Editor News, DD News Srinagar, Sheikh Mudasir Amin, Information Assistant, PIB Srinagar, Ifham Ul Islam besides media fraternity of Srinagar.