The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023:
Parliamentary Committee has reviewed the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023 Bill, proposing significant changes to India’s Criminal Justice System, recommendations including a gender-neutral provision criminalizing adultery.
- The BNS Bill, introduced by the Ministry of Home Affairs, seeks to replace the colonial-era IPC (Indian Penal Code).
Key Highlights of the Proposed Changes in BNS:
- The parliamentary committee has recommended including a gender-neutral provision that criminalizes Adultery.
- This move comes after the Supreme Court (SC) declared Section 497 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which criminalized adultery, as unconstitutional in 2018.
- The panel seeks to protect the institution of marriage but in a gender-neutral way.
- The committee is considering a clause to criminalize non-consensual sex between men, women, or transpersons, as well as acts of bestiality.
- This indicates an effort to address various forms of sexual offenses comprehensively.
- The committee has suggested better definitions for terms like “community service” and “life imprisonment” in the bill.
- The new draft code has included the removal of Section 124A (Sedition) and provisions for prosecuting offenses committed in foreign countries.
