Bengal Assembly passes motion against 3 new criminal laws through voice vote

Kolkata, Aug 2
A motion moved by the ruling Trinamool Congress against the three new criminal laws was passed in the West Bengal Assembly through a voice vote on Thursday after a detailed debate on the matter for the past two days.

The new criminal laws, Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA), replaced the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), and the Indian Evidence Act, respectively, with effect from July 1.

However, Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari claimed that passing a motion in any state Assembly against a central law cleared by the Parliament is meaningless.

According to Adhikari, since the three criminal laws have been implemented nationally, a motion passed against them in the Bengal Assembly will not impact its implementation in any way.

While participating in the debate on the issue, Adhikari also floated a proposal that the state government should bring a law to stop cross-border infiltration and ban forceful religious conversion in Bengal.

“If you have the courage, bring these two new laws,” Adhikari said.

Responding to Adhikari, state Law Minister Malay Ghatak said that both the Parliament and the state Assemblies have the power to enact laws.

“The Constitution has given the right to the state Assembly to amend certain Central laws according to the needs of the state," he said.

On June 20, 11 days before the three new criminal laws came into force, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting him to postpone their implementation.

The Chief Minister had argued that any far-reaching legal change would require meticulous groundwork to ensure its effective enforcement and administration.