New Delhi: Congress leader Manish Tewari has lashed out at Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal over the three new criminal laws, saying they were passed when a record 146 Opposition MPs were suspended from the Parliament, and it does not reflect the "collective wisdom" of the Parliament.
Alleging that Law Minister Meghwal is being "economical with the truth", Tewari said the implementation of the three laws will be "tantamount to throwing a spanner" into India's legal system.
"The Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal is being economical with the truth. The three new Criminal Laws were arbitrarily passed in Parliament after suspending a record of 146 MPs belonging to the opposition. These three laws reflect the will of only a section of Parliament who then sat on the Treasury benches. They do not reflect the collective wisdom of Parliament," the Congress leader wrote on social media platform X.
"Even the dissenting views expressed by learned members of the Standing Parliamentary Committee of Home Affairs were not taken on board. The implementation of these laws from July 1st, 2024 will be tantamount to throwing a spanner into India's legal system," he added.
The Congress leader demanded that the implementation of the three laws must be put a hold, stating that some of the provisions contained by these laws amount to "broader assault on Civil liberties."
"The operationalisation of these laws must be put on hold till the time Parliament does not 'collectively reapply' itself to these three legislations. Certain provisions in these laws represent the broadest assault on Civil liberties since the foundation of the Indian Republic," the Chandigarh MP stated.
This comes after Union Law and Justice Minister, Meghwal on Sunday, affirmed that the new Criminal Laws will come into force on July 1, 2024.
The three criminal laws -- Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam -- were passed in the Parliament last year that will replace Indian Penal Code (IPC), Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and Indian Evidence Act. (with Agency inputs)
