GUWAHATI, July 1: Assam has registered the first case under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita in Nagaon district, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Monday.
It was registered at 12:32 pm in Nagaon Sadar Police Station, he said at a press conference here.
The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam came into effect across the country from Monday, replacing the British-era Indian Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure and the Indian Evidence Act, respectively.
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The replacement of the colonial laws is of particular importance for Assam, as “we are fighting against child marriage, and had to take the help of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) Act to overcome the interpretation of the Islamic laws,” for the last one-and-a-half years, he said.
“Under the new Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, even consensual intercourse below the age of 18 is equivalent to rape and is punishable accordingly,” Sarma said.
The minimum age for intercourse with consent for married women has been raised from 15 years to 18 years, the CM said.
This new clause will help in dealing with child marriage cases, and will prove to be a deterrent for those involved with the social menace, Sarma said.
“The colonial laws got replaced and 115 master trainers of the Assam Police have been working for the last few months to make a smooth transition,” he said.
More than 500 police officers have been trained at the Gandhinagar Forensic University.
“The state government has set up five forensic laboratories as forensic evidence is compulsory under the new laws,” Sarma said.
The chief minister said July 1 will become an important milestone in India’s history as a “step to decolonise the laws of the nation. Our criminal laws will become democratised”.
“We have to sensitise the judiciary and the police along with other stakeholders, including people of the state, so that we can be proud of our criminal justice system,” he added. (PTI)
