New Codes: Selective decriminalisation, selective over-criminalisation

Both BNS and the JV Act were tabled ostensibly to shun the baggage of antiquated laws. Both laws promise to enhance ‘ease of living’ and to make systems ‘citizen-centric’. Read together, these laws also present the government’s latest policy on the use of criminal law. Regrettably, this policy is inconsistent and presents an ad hoc vision for crime and punishment in India. This opinion was published in Deccan Herald on September 14, 2023.