West Bengal Forms Panel to Review New Criminal Laws

West Bengal has become the third state, after Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, to set up a committee to amend three new criminal laws. Governor CV Ananda Bose has asked the Mamata Banerjee government to explain the objectives of this seven-member panel. The committee, established on Wednesday, is headed by a former judge of the Calcutta High Court and will review the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS), the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS), and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 (BSA).

The panel is led by retired Justice Ashim Kumar Roy and includes state law minister Malay Ghatak, state finance minister Chandrima Bhattacharya, the state advocate general, senior standing counsel of West Bengal in the Supreme Court Sanjay Basu, the DGP of West Bengal, and the Kolkata Police Commissioner. This committee will present its findings within three months and may involve academic experts, senior advocates, research assistants, and other legal experts. Public consultation may also be conducted.

The Governor has requested a specific report on whether the West Bengal government responded to the Centre’s proposal on time. In June, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking to delay the implementation of the three criminal laws and seeking further discussions in Parliament. On December 25, 2023, the President of India approved the BNS, BSA, and BNSS, which came into effect on July 1 this year.