CM Mamata Urges Amit Shah to Seek Consensus on New Criminal Law Bills Before Passage

Kolkata: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee urged Union home minister Amit Shah on Wednesday not to “rush to pass” the three new criminal law bills -- Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and Bharatiya Sakshya -- in Parliament now.

Flagging her concerns in a letter to the BJP heavyweight on a day he attacked her from a party rally in Kolkata, the TMC supremo wrote: “I do hope that keeping the sensitivity of the subject in mind, you will kindly attempt to arrive at a consensus building among all stakeholders on the proposed bills, rather than rushing to pass them in their present form, which have potential implications of a serious nature in the future.”

She elaborated: “The proposed overhauling of the existing criminal-penal statutes and replacing them with new statutes is bound to have far-reaching long-term implications on our polity. The suggested changes will also affect the public life of India in multiple ways. Therefore, in my view, extreme caution and due diligence should precede any change in the existing statutes. This can only be achieved through wide-ranging consultations and discussions with all stakeholders before Parliament legislates on such issues.”

Calling for the detailed views of jurists, public activists, human rights workers and the general public to “create a consensually accepted platform” before embarking “on any such exercise which permanently changes the criminal-penal landscape of the country”, Ms Banerjee suggested deliberations on such “extremely important legislation” by a “new government” after next year’s Lok Sabha election.

The CM also said her government’s “relevant comments” had been sent to the Rajya Sabha secretariat after a detailed examination of the three bills.