Winter Session: Legislation to Replace Colonial-era IPC, CrPC Key Among 21 Items Listed | Details Here

A total of 19 bills and two financial items are likely to be taken up for debate at the upcoming winter session from December 4 to 22. These will include legislation to replace the colonial-era Indian Penal Code, Criminal Procedure Code and Evidence Act, and bills to extend provisions of the women’s reservation law in Puducherry and Jammu and Kashmir.

The list was released on the day of the all-party meeting on Saturday, which is held before the commencement of any Parliament session. “We are bringing in 19 bills and two are financial items. There are a total of 21 items. The three bills are from the home ministry. There is a bill on central university, constitutional order,” said parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi.

Other bills that will be taken up will be the Press and Registration of Periodicals Bill, 2023 (as passed by Rajya Sabha); Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Bill, 2023; Central Goods and Services Tax (Second Amendment) Bill 2023; Repealing and Amending Bill (as passed by the Lok Sabha), the Advocates (Amendment) Bill (as passed by the Rajya Sabha), among others.

Joshi said there will be 15 sittings in 19 days. The all-party meeting under the chairmanship of defence minister Rajnath Singh was attended by 30 leaders from 23 parties, he added.

Here is all you need to know about key bills listed for the winter session:

Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and Bharatiya Sakshya Bill: The legislation to replace the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and Indian Evidence Act have also been listed for consideration and passage in the Lok Sabha. The three bills were examined by the parliamentary standing committee on home affairs, which submitted its reports with dissent notes by opposition members. During the monsoon session in August, union home minister Amit Shah, while introducing the three bills, had said these are to replace “signs of slavery” and to make the criminal justice system more victim-friendly.

According to the provisions, search and seizure operations will now be videographed through electronic devices and, for the first time, the Centre has defined terrorism. Remissions have also been rationalised in the new legislation and a new provision added to include crime related to murder on the basis of race, caste, community for which a provision of minimum seven years’ imprisonment or life imprisonment or death penalty has been made.

Bills to extend provisions of the women’s reservation law in UTs of Puducherry, J&K: The Centre has listed two bills to extend the provisions of the women’s reservation law in the union territories of Puducherry and J&K. Law minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said since there is a provision in the Constitution, Delhi – also a UT – was included in the women’s reservation bill passed by Parliament in September. He said there is no provision as yet to extend the provisions of the law in the UTs of J&K and Puducherry. “That is why separate bills after discussion,” he said.

The Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, 2023, has been listed for introduction, consideration and passage in the session. It seeks to insert provisions for providing reservation to women in the Puducherry legislative assembly. Similarly, the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2023, seeks to reserve for women a third of the total number of seats in the legislative assembly of J&K.

While there is a provision for a legislative assembly in J&K, the UT is under President’s Rule at present. Officially known as the Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, the women’s reservation law seeks to provide 33 percent reservation to women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. During a special session of Parliament in September, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had described the law as ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam’. It was passed by the Lok Sabha with near unanimity and the Rajya Sabha with unanimity.

National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Second (Amendment) Bill: The new bill seeks to extend the validity of the law up to December 31, 2026. The law, enacted in 2011, provides for relocating slum dwellers in Delhi, making unauthorised colonies regular and creating a policy for farmhouses constructed beyond permissible building limits.

Central University (Amendment) Bill: The bill seeks to establish a central tribal university in Telangana.

Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Bill: The legislation proposes to set up a three-member committee led by the prime minister for appointing future chief election commissioners and election commissioners.

Press and Registration of Periodicals Bill: This bill seeks to simplify the registration process for periodicals and newspapers and do away with several penal provisions that led to the prosecution and imprisonment of publishers.

Here are all the 21 items listed for the winter session:

1. The Repealing and Amending Bill, 2023, as passed by Lok Sabha.
2. The Advocates (Amendment) Bill, 2023, as passed by Rajya Sabha.
3. The Press and Registration of Periodicals Bill, 2023, as passed by Rajya Sabha.
4. The Constitution (Jammu and Kashmir) Scheduled Castes Order (Amendment) Bill, 2023
5. The Constitution (Jammu and Kashmir) Scheduled Tribes Order (Amendment) Bill, 2023
6. The Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023
7. The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2023
8. The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023
9. The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023
10. The Bhartiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023
11. The Post Office Bill, 2023
12. The Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Bill, 2023
13. The Boilers Bill, 2023
14. The Provisional Collection of Taxes Bill, 2023
15. The Central Goods and Services Tax (Second Amendment) Bill 2023
16. The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization (Amendment) Bill, 2023
17. The Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, 2023
18. The National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Second (Amendment) Bill, 2023
19. The Central Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2023
20. Presentation, discussion and voting on first batch of supplementary demands for grants for 2023-24 and introduction, consideration and passing of the related appropriation bill.
21. Presentation, discussion and voting on demands for excess grants for 2020-21 and introduction, consideration and passing of the related appropriation bill.

(With PTI inputs)