Gender matters: BNS misses femicide that hides behind homicide

One of the main thrusts of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Bill, 2023 (BNS), which seeks to replace the Indian Penal Code (IPC), is to give precedence to provisions relating to the protection of women and children and to strengthen provisions penalising murder. However, the BNS overlooks the application of a gendered lens when considering provisions penalising murder. This opinion was published in Deccan Herald on October 12, 2023.