Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Time and change: On the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs and new criminal laws

Time and change: On the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs and new criminal laws

Panel should be given more time to study new criminal laws

A parliamentary committee appears to be quite close to finalising its report on the three Bills seeking to replace the existing criminal laws (आपराधिक कानून). The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs (multifarious activities, events, and situations happen or exist within one particular country, the important among them being - internal security, border management, Centre-State relations, administration of Union Territories, management of Central Armed Police Forces, disaster management, etc) has postponed (स्थगित करना) the adoption (स्वीकार, अनुमोदन) of the draft report, following demands from Opposition members that they be given more time to study it. The report is said to have at least three dissenting (opposite, contradicting, disagreeing, conflicting) notes, mainly pertaining (से संबंध रखना) to the text of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which will replace the Indian Penal Code (भारतीय दंड संहिता) and the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, which will come in the place of the Code of Criminal Procedure (दंड प्रक्रिया संहिता). There appears to be unanimity (agreement (by all); consensus, accord, harmony, concord, harmony, unity, union, solidarity, like-mindedness, uniformity, concurrence, congruence) on the third Bill, the Bharatiya Sakshya Bill, the one in lieu of (instead of, as an alternative for, as a replacement for, in exchange for, in place of) the Indian Evidence Act (भारतीय साक्ष्य अधिनियम). Having begun its deliberations (विचार-विमर्श) only on August 24, and having held only 12 sittings (बैठक), there may be questions about the adequacy (पर्याप्तता) of the scrutiny (जांच). The whole point of introducing these new criminal codes was to bring about (cause, lead to, result in, give rise to, generate, produce, create) a major overhaul (reformation, transformation, reorganization, rearrangement) of a body of law (system of rules; regulations, fundamental principles, charter, constitution) deemed to be too colonial in orientation (अभिविन्यास, अनुकूलन). Any meaningful study of these Bills ought to (करना चाहिए) have involved wide consultations among stakeholders (हितधारक) across the country. Ideally (rather, preferably, in principle), the panel (committee, council, commission, advisory body) should hold sittings across the country and listen to lawyers and activists (a person who supports a political change or cause; (or societal change/cause)) on the details of the various sections, besides (in addition, furthermore, moreover, further) members of the subordinate (lower-ranking, lower in position; subaltern, second fiddle, second in command) judiciary who actually work the law and procedure laid down in the codes.

The demand for more time to examine the report has emerged because the draft report was said to have been circulated (issue, publish, release, bring out, make known, make public, publicize) in English only days before it was scheduled (plan, set up, organize, arrange, fix a time for) to be adopted (approve, endorse, agree to, consent to, accept, ratify, validate, support, vote for), and that the Hindi version was made available only on the eve of (on the day or evening before an event) the sitting. The panel’s next meeting is scheduled for November 6. It would be unwise (ill-advised, ill-considered, short-sighted, misguided, thoughtless) to treat the current deferment (postponement, delay, rescheduling) as nothing more than (only; exactly something) a brief (short, temporary, short-lived, transient, momentary) interlude (interval, intermission, break) to give more time to panel members to study the draft report. Rather, it should be seen as an opportunity to extend the time given to the committee by a few more months. The government seems to be keen on (enthusiastic about, interested in, passionate about, fascinated by, wanting to do something, eager for) getting the Bills introduced in Parliament and passed during the winter session. There is no reason for such haste. It might be argued that considerable (sizeable, significant, substantial; much) sections of the new laws are mere reproductions (replication, duplication, copying) of the old Codes and that one study (examination, scrutiny, evaluation, review, analysis) by the Standing Committee may be enough before they are introduced in the legislature (law-making body or governing body; parliament, congress, council, assembly). However, there are areas that may require deeper scrutiny: for instance (as an example), the scope for misuse (wrong use, abuse, exploitation, misemployment, misapplication), if any, in the new definitions, the desirability (appeal, advisability, preferableness, advantage, expedience) of introducing new offences (crime, illegal/unlawful act, wrongdoing) such as ‘hate speech (abusive or disrespectful speech)’ and whether there is further scope for procedural (official, formal, systematic, methodical) reform in the criminal justice system.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.Parliamentary select committee (noun)

Hindi Meaning - संसदीय चयन समिति
English Meaning - ‘parliamentary select committee’ can be formed for a specific purpose, for instance, to deliberate on a particular bill. Once the Bill is disposed of, that select committee ceases to exist.

2.criminal Law (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आपराधिक कानून
English Meaning - a complex system of laws concerned with punishment of individuals who commit crimes.

3.postpone (verb)

Hindi Meaning - स्थगित करना
English Meaning - put off, delay, defer, reschedule, shelve, suspend, hold off.

4.adoption (noun)

Hindi Meaning - स्वीकार, अनुमोदन
English Meaning - acceptance, approval, endorsement, validation, support, ratification.

5.pertain (verb)

Hindi Meaning - से संबंध रखना
English Meaning - concern, relate to, be connected with.

6.Indian Penal Code (IPC) (noun)

Hindi Meaning - भारतीय दंड संहिता
English Meaning - The Indian Penal Code (IPC) is the official criminal code of India. It is a comprehensive code intended to cover all substantive aspects of criminal law. The draft was passed into law on 6 October 1860. The Code came into operation on 1 January 1862. The Indian Penal Code of 1860, subdivided into 23 chapters, comprises 511 sections. IPC deals with crimes and punishments.

7.Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) (noun)

Hindi Meaning - दंड प्रक्रिया संहिता
English Meaning - The Code of Criminal Procedure (in India). The main legislation on procedure for administration of substantive criminal law in India. It was enacted in 1973 and came into force on 1 April 1974. CrPC tells about the criminal trial procedure. (The criminal procedure law was re-enacted in 1973, and it is known as the CrPC, 1973, as distinct from its 1898 version).

8.Indian Evidence Act (IEA) (noun)

Hindi Meaning - भारतीय साक्ष्य अधिनियम
English Meaning - The Indian Evidence Act passed in India by the Imperial Legislative Council in 1872. It contains a set of rules and allied issues governing admissibility of evidence in the Indian courts of law.

9.deliberation (noun)

Hindi Meaning - विचार-विमर्श
English Meaning - dialogue, discussion, discourse, debate, negotiation, talks.

10.sitting (noun)

Hindi Meaning - बैठक
English Meaning - meeting, session.

11.adequacy (noun)

Hindi Meaning - पर्याप्तता
English Meaning - acceptability, fairness, competence, effectiveness, usefulness.

12.scrutiny (noun)

Hindi Meaning - जांच
English Meaning - examination, inspection, investigation, review, analysis.

13.orientation (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अभिविन्यास, अनुकूलन
English Meaning - arrangement, alignment; direction, intention, aim, objective, attitude.

14.ought to (modal verb)

Hindi Meaning - करना चाहिए
English Meaning - must, should.

15.stakeholder (noun)

Hindi Meaning - हितधारक
English Meaning - a person with an interest in something.

16.House committees/Parliamentary committees (noun)

English Meaning - The parliamentary (standing & select) committees; They do close examination and investigation of government policies, actions and spending.

17.Parliamentary Standing Committee/Parliamentary panel (noun)

English Meaning - it is a committee (consisting of Members of Parliament) constituted usually on an annual basis to enable detailed consideration/discussion on all bills (all proposed laws).

18.home affairs (noun)

English Meaning - multifarious activities, events, and situations happen or exist within one particular country, the important among them being - internal security, border management, Centre-State relations, administration of Union Territories, management of Central Armed Police Forces, disaster management, etc.

19.affairs (noun)

English Meaning - activities, events, circumstances/situations.

20.panel (noun)

English Meaning - committee, council, commission, advisory body.

21.Bill (noun)

English Meaning - A Bill is a draft statute that becomes law after it is passed by both the Houses of Parliament and assented to by the President. All legislative proposals are brought before Parliament in the forms of Bills (or) draft statute/law, proposed legislation, proposal (presented to parliament/congress/council for discussion).

22.dissenting (adjective)

English Meaning - opposite, contradicting, disagreeing, conflicting.

23.Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Bill 2023 (noun)

English Meaning - It is introduced to replace the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

24.Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) Bill 2023 (noun)

English Meaning - It is introduced to replace the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).

25.in place of (phrase)

English Meaning - instead of, as an alternative for, as a replacement for, in exchange for, in lieu of.

26.unanimity (noun)

English Meaning - agreement (by all); consensus, accord, harmony, concord, harmony, unity, union, solidarity, like-mindedness, uniformity, concurrence, congruence.

27.Bharatiya Sakshya Bill 2023 (noun)

English Meaning - It is proposed to replace the Indian Evidence Act (IEA).

28.in lieu of (phrase)

English Meaning - instead of, as an alternative for, as a replacement for, in exchange for, in place of.

29.held past tense of hold (verb)

English Meaning - arrange, organize, convene, conduct, assemble.

30.bring about (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - cause, lead to, result in, give rise to, generate, produce, create.

31.overhaul (noun)

English Meaning - reformation, transformation, reorganization, rearrangement.

32.a body of law (noun phrase)

English Meaning - system of rules; regulations, fundamental principles, charter, constitution.

33.deem (verb)

English Meaning - consider, regard as, see, view.

34.Ideally (adverb)

English Meaning - rather, preferably, in principle.

35.activist (adjective)

English Meaning - a person who supports a political change or cause; (or societal change/cause).

36.besides (adverb)

English Meaning - in addition, furthermore, moreover, further.

37.subordinate (adjective)

English Meaning - lower-ranking, lower in position; subaltern, second fiddle, second in command.

38.judiciary (noun)

English Meaning - a branch of government in which judicial power is vested.

39.subordinate judiciary (noun)

English Meaning - “sessions courts” as per the Code Of Criminal Procedure (CrPc) and “district courts” as per the Code Of Civil Procedure are referred as subordinate judiciary/courts in the state judiciary under the state high courts, both in hierarchy and practice. The Chapter 6 of the Part VI of Indian Constitution is titled subordinate courts. But there is no definition of subordinate for that part. The expression subordinate is used in certain Articles of the Constitution, to mean a rank below.

40.lay down (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - formulate, stipulate, frame, prescribe, promulgate.

41.circulate (verb)

English Meaning - issue, publish, release, bring out, make known, make public, publicize.

42.schedule (verb)

English Meaning - plan, set up, organize, arrange, fix a time for.

43.adopt (verb)

English Meaning - approve, endorse, agree to, consent to, accept, ratify, validate, support, vote for.

44.on the eve of (phrase)

English Meaning - ​on the day or evening before an event.

45.unwise (adjective)

English Meaning - ill-advised, ill-considered, short-sighted, misguided, thoughtless.

46.deferment (noun)

English Meaning - postponement, delay, rescheduling.

47.nothing more than (phrase)

English Meaning - only; exactly something.

48.brief (adjective)

English Meaning - short, temporary, short-lived, transient, momentary.

49.interlude (noun)

English Meaning - interval, intermission, break.

50.keen on (adjective)

English Meaning - enthusiastic about, interested in, passionate about, fascinated by, wanting to do something, eager for.

51.haste (noun)

English Meaning - hurry, speed, rush, quickness.

52.considerable (adjective)

English Meaning - sizeable, significant, substantial; much.

53.reproduction (noun)

English Meaning - replication, duplication, copying.

54.study (noun)

English Meaning - examination, scrutiny, evaluation, review, analysis.

55.legislature (noun)

English Meaning - law-making body or governing body; parliament, congress, council, assembly.

56.deeper comparative adjective of deep (adjective)

English Meaning - extensive, thorough, genuine, sincere, honest, intense.

57.for instance (phrase)

English Meaning - as an example.

58.misuse (noun)

English Meaning - wrong use, abuse, exploitation, misemployment, misapplication.

59.desirability (noun)

English Meaning - appeal, advisability, preferableness, advantage, expedience.

60.offence (noun)

English Meaning - crime, illegal/unlawful act, wrongdoing.

61.hate speech (noun)

English Meaning - abusive or disrespectful speech.

62.procedural (adjective)

English Meaning - official, formal, systematic, methodical.