India's New Criminal Laws: Stricter Punishments for Lynching and Rape
The Lok Sabha, India's lower house of Parliament, has passed three key Bills aimed at overhauling the country's criminal laws. The Bills include provisions such as expanding detention in police custody, bringing terror, corruption, and organized crime under ordinary legislation, and decriminalizing homosexuality and adultery. The Bills will replace the Indian Penal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure, and the Indian Evidence Act. Union Home Minister Amit Shah defended the provisions of the Bills, including changes in sedition laws and the definition of terrorism, and emphasized the government's commitment to national security. The Bills were passed despite the absence of opposition members, who were suspended from the House.