India’s New Criminal Laws 2025: India’s justice system will transform fundamentally, with three new criminal laws taking effect starting July 1, 2025 that will replace the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), and Indian Evidence Act.
The transformation will provide an efficient, technologically enabled, and transparent justice delivery system, among other significant changes in the legal domain.
The three new laws which are being introduced are:
Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) – This law replaces the IPC and provides for clearer definitions of crimes. Such as mob lynching, organized crime and terrorism, and brings new definitions to sentences.
Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) – This law replaces the CrPC. The main intent of this law is to expedite processes in the context of trials. Focus on digital FIRs and investigate with forensics, with the aim of enhancing the efficiency of our judicial system.
Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA) – This law is replacing the Indian Evidence Act. The main change here is that it allows electronic and digital records to be used and ensures better security of records in the legal context.
Notably, the new laws focus on using technology to increase speed in legal context:
E-FIR and Digital Summons – Any person in India can now file an FIR online. Increasing the likelihood of police action sooner, than in the past.
Video Conferencing to Hear Trials – A court hearing can happen virtually and not as a result of an oversight by a party. And delays have been caused so we have also increased the timeframe when we need to appear.
Forensic Support to be Required – Serious crimes should have forensic support to help ensure we are accurately identifying cases of crime.
However, notwithstanding these benefits, legal experts warn of challenges:
– Training for Law Agencies – Police and legal personnel will require a rigid program of training. Established in a contextual training framework to enable them to manage the transition to digital systems and reforms.
– Public Awareness – There may be a need for citizen education and legal literacy programs to understand their new associated legal rights entailed in the new applied laws.
Also Read: 5 Big Changes to Indian Passport Rules in 2025
– Transition Anxiety – There may be transitional confusion with the installation of the new policies and protocols following the legal transition period.
The new application of these modernized criminal laws heralds a new age of the legal framework in India. Greater modern digital integration and concepts around the delivery of justice. And application reforms may provide more transparency in the operation. And functionality of a much more accessible and efficient legal system, for now. The major is simply the implementation obstacles of the plan to achieve these modern reforms.
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