Oppn MPs seek views of jurists, experts on bills to replace criminal laws
Congress and Trinamool Congress are expected to propose the names of a number of jurists and experts who should be called to depose before for the panel.
Opposition members of Parliament’s home affairs panel will on Wednesday demand that more experts from diverse fields should be asked to depose on the three draft legislation that seek to replace the Code of Criminal Procedure, Indian Penal Code and Evidence Act.

“We have to demand that reputed experts from a diverse background should be invited to speak on the bill. We need eminent jurists, human rights experts and those with deep understanding of criminal law to come and explain to us the various facets of the three proposed laws,” a member said, declining to be named.
Retired Supreme Court judge Arun Mishra, who had hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi as an “internationally acclaimed visionary” who could “think globally and act locally,” had been invited to depose on the bills, according to a functionary. Similarly, Praveen Sinha, an Indian Police Service officer of the 1988 batch, who was earlier special director at the Central Bureau of Investigation, was also invited.
Also Read: Sedition under the new Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Bill, 2023: What’s changed
Functionaries added another witness, former DGP of Uttar Pradesh police, Vikram Singh also deposed before the panel. “Many MPs were surprised when he spoke about how to end love jihad in the context of the bill,” said an Opposition MP. Two other witnesses came from Gujarat.
On Wednesday, Congress and Trinamool Congress are expected to propose the names of a number of jurists and experts who should be called to depose before for the panel. Opposition leaders also plan to protest any move to hurriedly prepare a report on the three bills. Once the standing committee’s report is submitted, the government can push for the passage of the draft laws.
A senior opposition leader, according to a functionary, has also written to the home panel chairman, asking for bipartisan discussion and arguing that panel members shouldn’t be rushed to give their views.
