West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him not to implement three criminal laws: the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023.
These laws are going to come into force from July 1. Mamata Banerjee says that these laws were passed in a hurry while most of the opposition MPs were suspended from the House.
In her letter to Prime Minister Modi, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo expressed serious concerns regarding the implementation of these three laws.
Mamata Banerjee stated that these three bills were passed in the Lok Sabha at a time when 146 MPs were suspended from the House.
She said, "Your previous government passed these three bills unilaterally and without any debate.
On that day, nearly 100 members of the Lok Sabha were suspended, and a total of 146 MPs from both houses were expelled from Parliament."
She added, "In that dark period of democracy, the bills were passed in a dictatorial manner."
Mamata Banerjee urged, "I now request your office to consider at least postponing the implementation date. There are two reasons for this—moral and practical."
She emphasized that these significant legal changes should be reconsidered and presented for examination to the newly elected Parliament.
The TMC supremo stated, "There has been widespread public opposition to these hastily passed new laws. In light of this, a fresh parliamentary review would demonstrate a commitment to democratic principles.
This approach would provide newly elected representatives the opportunity to thoroughly examine the proposed laws."
The TMC supremo stated, "Any far-reaching legal changes require careful groundwork for proper implementation."
The Chief Minister of Bengal added, "I respectfully request you to consider our appeal to defer the implementation of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA) 2023, and the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) 2023."
Union Minister of Law and Justice, Arjun Ram Meghwal, has announced that the three new criminal laws will come into effect from July 1.
