Chidambaram on parliamentary panel reviewing new criminal laws

Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Tuesday nominated former home minister and Congress member P Chidambaram to the department-related parliamentary standing committee on home affairs.

Chidambaram's nomination comes in the wake of the retirement of Congress member P Bhattacharya from the Rajya Sabha.

The parliamentary committee on home affairs is currently looking into the three new bills -- Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and Bharatiya Sakshya Bill -- seeking to replace criminal laws Indian Penal Code (IPC), Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and the Indian Evidence Act.

Dhankhar had on August 18 referred the three proposed laws that will replace the IPC, CrPC and the Evidence Act to the standing committee on home affairs for examination and asked it to submit its report within three months.

The three bills were introduced in Lok Sabha by Home Minister Amit Shah on August 11.

The parliamentary standing committee on home affairs is of the Rajya Sabha and has members from both houses of Parliament.

BJP member Brij Lal is the chairman of the committee.

The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita provides for several changes in the existing provisions including that of defamation, attempt to commit suicide and expanded the scope of offence against women pertaining to sexual intercourse by employing "deceitful means".

It also lists new offences such as acts of secession, armed rebellion, subversive activities, separatist activities or endangering the sovereignty or unity in the new avatar of the sedition law.

For the first time, the word terrorism has been defined under the BNS which was not there under the IPC.