Govt introduces Code of CrPc Amendment Bill in RS

The Government today introduced the Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill, 2008 in the Rajya Sabha with the aim of streamlining the criminal procedure to secure speedy justice to the people, save the innocent from harassment and give special protection to women.

The aim of the legislation is to strike a balance between the civil liberties of citizens and maintaining law and order and peace in the society, the Government said.

The Bill seeks to amend various sections relating to arrest, threat to witnesses, summon, warrants, summary trials, delay in production of the arrested in courts, police pressure on accused making statement and crime against women.

Home Minister P Chidambaram had to join in his Minister of State Shakeel Ahmed after the BJP and other Opposition members objected to the Bill being moved by a junior in the Ministry.

Initiating discussion over the Bill, Dr Gyan Prakash Pilania welcomed some provisions of the bill but said there was BJP need for a relook at the legislation, so the Government should not hurry through the Bill as it related to vital issues of the rights of citizens.

He objected to the provision of introducing videoconferencing between the accused in jail and the magistrate, saying that though its a very welcome purpose of cutting delay in the trial, it was fraught with various other problems.

Videoconferencing robs the accused of an opportunity to get a counsel's help while facing the magistrate, he said reminding that the Parilamentary Standing Committee on the legislation had also advised the Government to tread with great caution while introducing the provision.

Dr Pilania, however, welcomed the provision of relating to crime against women like medical examination of rape victim by a female doctor, but disagreed with the differentiation made between a child rape victim and an adult rape victim through the provision that cases of child rape victims should be disposed of within three months.

He said the trauma of rape was equal for a minor and an adult woman.

-- (UNI) -- 18PAR12.xml

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