The Ministry of Law and Justice is set to organize a conference titled “India’s Progressive Path in the Administration of Criminal Justice System” in Kolkata tomorrow. This event follows the President’s assent to “The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023,” “The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023,” and “The Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023,” which will take effect from July 1, 2024.
Over the past two months, the Department of Legal Affairs has conducted major conferences in New Delhi and Guwahati to raise awareness about these new laws among stakeholders, including the legal fraternity, law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, district administration officials, academia, and law students. The upcoming conference in Kolkata is the third in a series, with additional events planned for Chennai and Mumbai later this month.
The Kolkata conference will be held at ITC Royal Bengal, Haldane Avenue. Hon’ble Mr Justice T. S. Sivagnanam, Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court, will inaugurate the event as the Chief Guest, alongside Hon’ble Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal, Minister of State (I/C) for Law & Justice.
The conference aims to highlight the key features of the new criminal laws through interactive sessions, deliberations, and Q&A sessions. Attendees will include judges, advocates, academicians, law enforcement officials, public prosecutors, district administrators, and law students from West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar, UP, Jharkhand, and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
The inaugural session will discuss the objectives of the new criminal laws, which aim to transform India’s Criminal Justice System.
Technical Session-I: Focused on the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS), this session will be chaired by Hon’ble Justice Joymalya Bagchi, Calcutta High Court. Panelists include Sh. Shashi Prakash Singh, Prof. Anurag Deep, Sh. Faisal Fasih, and Dr. Biswa Kallyan Dash, moderated by Prof. Vageshwari Deswal.
Technical Session-II: This session will cover the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 (BSA) on evidence, chaired by Hon’ble Justice Ananya Bandopadhyay, Calcutta High Court. Panelists include Sh. Zoheb Hossain, Sh. Amit Prasad, Dr Sarfaraj Ahmed Khan, and Dr Shubham Pandey moderated by Dr K.A. Pandey.
Technical Session-III: Focusing on the procedural changes introduced by the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS), this session will be chaired by Justice Tirthankara Ghosh, Calcutta High Court. Panelists include Sh. Vikramjit Banerjee, Sh. E. Chandresekaran, and Dr. Neeraj Tiwari, moderated by Prof. Mohd. Asad Malik.
The conference will conclude with a valedictory session graced by Hon’ble Governor of West Bengal, Dr. C.V. Ananda Bose, along with Hon’ble Mr. Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Prof. (Dr.) N.K. Chakrabarti.
The Government of India has been actively working to repeal archaic, colonial-era laws and introduce legislation that meets the needs of a modern, vibrant democracy. The new laws will replace the Indian Penal Code (1860), Code of Criminal Procedure (1973), and Indian Evidence Act (1872), which have been in operation for several decades.
This conference will play a crucial role in facilitating the smooth implementation of the new criminal laws by generating awareness among stakeholders and citizens.
