Justice will be priority not punishment: Prez Murmu on new criminal laws

President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday said the three new criminal laws, which are slated to come into force from July 1, will provide justice rather than punishment, which was the mindset during the British regime.

Addressing the first joint sitting of Parliament after the constitution of the 18th Lok Sabha, she said the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023 and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2023 will speed up the judicial process.

These laws, enacted last year, are set to replace the British-era Indian Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure and the Indian Evidence Act respectively.

"The Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita will come into force in the country from the 1st of July. During the British regime, there was the mindset to punish the subjects. Unfortunately, the same penal system of the colonial era continued for many decades after Independence," she said.

The president said the idea of changing criminal laws was much talked about for many decades, but it i