Chidambaram nominated to parliamentary panel on home affairs looking into criminal laws

Rajya Sabha chairman and vice-president of India Jagdeep Dhankhar on Tuesday, 29 August, nominated former home minister and Congress member P Chidambaram to the parliamentary standing committee on home affairs.

Chidambaram's nomination comes in the wake of the retirement of Congress member P. Bhattacharya from the Rajya Sabha.

The parliamentary committee on home affairs is currently looking into three new bills—the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya Bill—seeking to replace the existing criminal laws per the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and the Indian Evidence Act.

'The chairman, Rajya Sabha has on 28th August 2023 nominated Shri P. Chidambaram, member, Rajya Sabha, to the committee on home affairs vice Shri P. Bhattacharya, who retired from the membership of (the) Rajya Sabha on 18th August 2023,' a bulletin from the Rajya Sabha secretariat said.

Dhankhar had on August 18 referred the three proposed laws that will replace the IPC, CrPC and the Evidence Act to the standing committee on home affairs for examination and asked it to submit its report within three months.

The three bills were introduced in the Lok Sabha by Union home minister Amit Shah on August 11.

The parliamentary standing committee on home affairs is of the Rajya Sabha and has members from both Houses of Parliament.

BJP member Brij Lal is the chairman of the committee.

The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita provides for several changes in the existing provisions, including those on defamation and attempt to commit suicide, and expanded the scope of offences against women pertaining to sexual intercourse by employing "deceitful means".

The bill also lists 'new offences', such as acts of secession, armed rebellion, subversive activities, separatist activities or endangering the sovereignty or unity in a new avatar of the sedition law it proposes to replace.

For the first time, the word 'terrorism' has been defined under the BNS, which is not present in the Indian Penal Code.