2023 Parliament Winter Session Highlights: Lok Sabha Approves Trio of Amended Criminal Law Bills; Amit Shah Advocates for Victim-Centric Justice

The Indian Parliament’s Winter Session in 2023 had a significant day as the Lok Sabha passed three amended criminal bills. These bills, titled Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita, 2023, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita, 2023, and Bharatiya Sakshya (Second) (BSB) 2023, were supported by the majority of Members of Parliament (MPs) present in the Lower House, who voted in favor through a voice vote. Union Home Minister Amit Shah highlighted the importance of these bills, noting that they aim to remove the remnants of colonial influence from Indian law. He pointed out that terms like “Her Majesty”, “London Gazette”, “British Crown”, and “barrister” are still used in India due to the continuation of UK laws.

In other developments, two MPs from Kerala, Thomas Chazhikadan and AM Arif, were suspended from the Lok Sabha, bringing the total number of suspensions in both Houses to 143. Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankar expressed his deep dissatisfaction over the disrespectful behavior of some MPs, particularly addressing an incident where a TMC MP mimicked him. He emphasized the importance of maintaining the dignity of the Parliament and the Vice-President’s office. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also reached out to Dhankar, expressing his concern over the recent events in the Parliament.

In the Rajya Sabha, MPs from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) showed solidarity with Vice President Dhankar by standing up and actively participating in the House proceedings, especially in light of the recent mimicry incident involving TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee.