New criminal laws to come into force from July 1: Govt notification

New Delhi: The three newly enacted criminal laws - Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023, Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023 and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2023 - will come into effect from July 1, said government notifications issued on Saturday.

However, section 106(2) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which deals with hit and run cases, has been kept in abeyance in line with an assurance given by the Union home ministry to trucker associations in January following protests by truck drivers.

The home ministry issued three separate notifications declaring July 1 as the date on which the provisions of the three laws will come into force. As per one of the notifications issued by exercising the powers conferred by sub-section (2) of section 1 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (45 of 2023), the ministry declared July 1 as the date on which the provisions of the Sanhita "except the provision of sub-section (2) of section 106, shall come into force".


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Using similar powers conferred by sub-section (3) of section 1 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (46 of 2023), it declared "the 1st day of July 2024 as the date on which the provisions of the Sanhita, except the provisions of the entry relating to section 106(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, in the First Schedule, shall come into force".

"In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (3) of section 1 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 (47 of 2023), the Central Government hereby appoints the 1st day of July 2024 as the date on which the provisions of the said Adhiniyam, shall come into force," said another notification.

The move comes after President Droupadi Murmu gave her assent to the three laws on December 25, 2023, days after Parliament passed the bills.