West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has said she was stunned to find that there is a serious attempt to quietly introduce very harsh and draconian anti-citizen provisions as she was reading the drafts prepared by the Union Home Ministery to substitute the Indian Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure and Indian Evidence Act.
"Have been reading the drafts prepared by the Union Home Ministry to substitute the Indian Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure and Indian Evidence Act. Stunned to find that there is a serious attempt to quietly introduce very harsh and draconian anti-citizen provisions in these efforts. Earlier there was Sedition Law; now, in the name of withdrawing those provisions, they are introducing more severe and arbitrary measures in the proposed Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which can affect citizens more gravely...," Mamata Banerjee said.
"The current Acts should be decolonized not only in form but also in spirit. Urge the jurists and public activists of the country to study these drafts seriously for democratic contributions in the realm of the criminal justice system. My colleagues in the Parliament will raise these issues at the Standing Committee when these will be deliberated. Laws need to be improved in light of experiences, but colonial authoritarianism should not be allowed to have backdoor entry at Delhi," the Bengal Chief Minister added.
ALSO READ | TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee thanks Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose for taking up unpaid dues issue with Centre
