People convicted of petty offences like defamation and drunken misconduct in public may soon get away with community service as a form of punishment, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah introducing the ‘Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita’ (BNS) Bill, 2023, which seeks to replace the IPC. Shah introduced three bills in the Lok Sabha to replace the colonial-era Indian Penal Code (IPC), 1860, the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898, and the Indian Evidence Act, 1872.

Though Indian courts have been letting off those convicted of petty crimes after ordering them to plant trees, serve at religious places, shelter homes and orphanages, or manage traffic signals, it is for the first time that the provision of community service has been proposed in penal law for minor offences under the ‘Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita’ (BNS) Bill. The Bill has proposed community service as one of the punishments for petty offences like defamation, public servant unlawfully engaging in trade, non-appearance in response to a proclamation and attempt to commit suicide to compel or restrain exercise of lawful power.

Read full article: BNS Bill introduced by Amit Shah provides for community service as punishment for petty offences

Photo by Naveed Ahmed on Unsplash