oppn parties Overhauling IPC, IEA and CrPC Is Good But Police And Judicial Reforms Must Also Be Carried Out Simultaneoulsy

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  • Allahabad HC said that the UP Police is acting as law unto themselves as they detained a person unlawfully even before his arrest
  • Kolkata witnesses traffic snarls on the first day of the Durga Puja festival as revellers start pnadal-hopping
  • Neha Bora was subsequently released and Dipke is to appear before a magistrate today at noon
  • Delhi Police detained Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke, Neha Bora of AISA, student leaders and supporters ahead of a rally in Connaught Place demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation. The protest followed the detention and jailing of two CJP leaders earlier in the week over demonstrations at Jantar Mantar
  • The Reserve Bank of India is considering further monetary tightening to counter capital outflows and increase the cost of betting against the rupee, according to bankers and analysts cited by Reuters. The measures follow recent rate increases and steps to drain liquidity as pressure on the currency and inflation concerns persist
  • India directed oil marketing companies to stop diverting sugar-based feedstocks for ethanol production in the 2026–27 supply year, according to a new tender issued on Friday. The companies have invited bids for 11 billion litres of ethanol made from alternatives including corn and broken rice, amid concerns about domestic sugar supplies and prices
  • Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said India's trade imbalance with China was growing sharply and attributed the problem partly to restrictions on Indian goods and services entering the Chinese market. China subsequently said it was ready to work with India to address mutual economic and trade concerns; India's trade deficit with China reached $69 billion in the first half of FY2026–27, up 27% year-on-year
  • Indian equity benchmarks extended their recovery on Friday, with the Sensex rising 413.66 points to close at 74,729.27 and the Nifty 50 gaining 148.80 points to settle at 23,146.15. Information technology shares, including Tech Mahindra, Infosys and TCS, helped lift the indices
  • India defeated Zimbabwe by four wickets in the opening women's T20 International in Raipur, taking a 1–0 lead in the three-match series. Deepti Sharma and Niki Prasad combined in an 82-run stand after India's top order collapsed, helping the hosts chase down Zimbabwe's total of 114 for five
  • Indian wrestler Komal won bronze in the women's 59 kg category at the Under-23 World Wrestling Championships in Las Vegas, defeating Kazakhstan's Viktoriia Khusainova 7–2. Fellow Indian Amruta Pujari advanced to the women's 72 kg final after recording two pinfall victories
  • Indian shuttler Jagsher Singh Khangurra secured a bronze medal at the BWF World Junior Badminton Championships in Cairo
  • The Supreme Court of India upheld the Bombay High Court's decision quashing the 2020 write-off of ₹8,415 crore in additional tier-1 bonds issued by Yes Bank (Yes Bank). The court ruled that the bank's administrator lacked the authority to extinguish the bonds under the final reconstruction scheme, strengthening bondholders' claims
  • The Supreme Court issued notices to the Election Commission of India, Delhi Police and opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav, in separate petitions concerning electoral-roll revision and protests held in Delhi on October 10–12. The court also directed the preservation of CCTV footage linked to allegations of police excesses
  • The Supreme Court ruled that a person converting from Hinduism to Islam cannot automatically claim backward-class reservation benefits in the new religious community solely on the basis of their previous caste status. The judgment upheld the Madras High Court's decision striking down a 2024 Tamil Nadu government order that permitted such certification for specified communities
  • The Election Commission of India ordered a Special Summary Revision of electoral rolls in 14 states and three Union Territories, using January 1, 2027, as the qualifying date for voter eligibility. The draft rolls are scheduled for publication on November 12, claims and objections will be accepted until December 11, and the final rolls are due on January 4, 2027
Delhi HC refuses to ban CJP's Tiranga rally at Central Park in Connaught Place today /////// Police says will control and regulate it /////// NDMC closes the park for the public on Friday and Saturday
oppn parties
Overhauling IPC, IEA and CrPC Is Good But Police And Judicial Reforms Must Also Be Carried Out Simultaneoulsy

By Sunil Garodia
First publised on 2020-07-08 16:41:56

About the Author

Sunil Garodia Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator. Author of Cyber Scams in India, Digital Arrest, The Money Trap and The Human Hack

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has constituted a five-member expert committee to overhaul the criminal laws in India. The ministry is also consulting the Bureau of Police Research and Development to amend many provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Indian Evidence Act (IEA) and the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). These were long overdue steps as the IPC was enacted in 1860 while the Indian Evidence Act IEA was enacted in 1872. Only the CrPC was enacted in 1973. But since it took into account the statutes in IPC and IEA, it is also loaded with old procedures.

The IPC and the IEA were drafted by an occupying force that had the benefit of the monarchy in mind. It was not concerned with the rights of the citizen. The IPC echoes Victorian morality (hence the provisions against homosexuality and adultery). The acts are also patriarchal in nature and loaded against women. Apart from knee-jerk amendments and striking down of some provisions by the Supreme Court, there has never been a serious relook at these acts. The imperatives of a multi-lingual and multi-cultural democratic state are very different from those of an occupying force.

These acts have become archaic and need a complete overhaul. They must reflect modern-day realities and do away with discriminatory provisions. They must do away with colonial provisions like sedition. They must incorporate provisions to tackle new crimes, especially those related to technology, and in a better way. For instance, forensic evidence must be made compulsory in criminal cases (something that the MHA is seriously considering). Punishment for crimes must be brought in sync with changing time and social mores.

But an overhaul of the above acts would not work in isolation. For a complete and successful transition to a newer, better, equitable and more efficient criminal justice system, judicial and police reforms have also to be carried out. The Indian Police Act (IPA) was enacted in 1861. It carries oppressive provisions that more suited to a police force that wants to subjugate the citizenry. The IPA also needs to be suitably overhauled. The lower judiciary needs to be revamped and reorganized to make it more efficient and modern. The criminal justice system in India will be modernized only if all these reforms are carried out, if not simultaneously than in quick succession. 

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