New Criminal Laws in India: Every Citizen Must Know (2026)

India’s criminal justice system underwent a historic change on July 1, 2024. The country replaced its colonial-era laws with new criminal legislation that applies across the nation. The three new criminal laws—Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA)—now take the place of the Indian Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure, and Indian Evidence Act.

The Committee for Reforms in Criminal Laws, led by Prof. Dr. Ranbir Singh, started this legal transformation in 2020. The President gave assent to these laws on December 25, 2023, and they now serve as the foundations of our justice system. These new laws want to deliver justice faster, help victims, boost technology use, and protect citizens’ rights. The laws mark India’s move away from colonial influence to create a framework that meets modern India’s needs.

This piece explains the new criminal laws, their features, and their effect on you as a citizen. You’ll find answers about filing FIRs, understanding your rights, and the key aspects of these legal reforms. The information here will help you grasp everything about this legal transformation.

From Colonial Codes to Modern Justice

The new criminal laws replace a 160-year-old legislation that guided India’s justice system. These colonial-era laws had a fundamental flaw – they were designed to rule citizens rather than serve them.

The outdated nature of IPC, CrPC, and Evidence Act

The Indian Penal Code (1860), the Evidence Act (1872), and the Code of Criminal Procedure (1898, revised 1973) are the foundations of India’s criminal justice system. These colonial-era laws reflected British priorities and governance philosophies. The Committee on Reforms of the Criminal Justice System (2000) found the existing system “in such a very bad state as to call for revamping”.

The outdated framework led to concerning statistics. India’s conviction rate stayed around 41.8% by 2000, while countries like the UK, USA, and Singapore maintained rates above 90%. The system struggled with 3.5 crore pending cases. NCRB data from 2015 revealed that undertrial prisoners made up 67.2% of India’s prison population.

The 2020 reform committee and its goals

The Ministry of Home Affairs created the Committee for Reforms in Criminal Laws under Prof. Dr. Ranbir Singh in May 2020 to modernize the criminal justice framework. Constitutional primacy, human rights, simplified procedures, fair investigations, transparency, victim justice, and technology integration guided the committee’s work.

The committee worked to make the criminal law matrix responsive to a modern democracy. Stakeholders across the nation participated in extensive consultations, including police officers, judicial officers, prosecutors, and citizens.

Legislative journey till 2024 implementation

The new criminal laws emerged from extensive consultations and research. Parliament received the bills in August 2023. The Standing Committee reviewed and recommended changes, leading to revised bills in December 2023.

Parliament approved these three new criminal laws on December 21, 2023, and presidential assent followed on December 25, 2023. The laws took effect on July 1, 2024, after training approximately 14.8 lakh policemen, 42,000 jail employees, 19,000 judicial officers, and 11,000 public prosecutors.

Understanding the Three New Criminal Laws in India

The new criminal laws bring India’s judicial framework into the 21st century with a complete overhaul. These three new criminal laws rest on three basic principles: Nyaya (justice), Suraksha (security), and Nagarik (citizen strengthening).

BNS: Replacing IPC with a focus on national security and rehabilitation

The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) brings several groundbreaking changes to substantive criminal law. BNS clearly defines terrorism as acts that threaten India’s unity, integrity, sovereignty, security, or economic security. The new criminal laws prioritize crimes against women and children by placing them in a dedicated chapter.

These new criminal laws introduce community service as an alternative punishment for petty offenses. This change shows how the new criminal laws combine retribution with rehabilitation instead of purely punitive measures. BNS tackles modern challenges by defining organized crime, which includes kidnapping, extortion, contract killings, economic offenses, and cybercrimes.

BNSS: Streamlining procedures and utilizing digital tools

The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) reshapes the procedural aspects of the new criminal laws in India. Note that BNSS requires forensic investigation for offenses that carry seven or more years of imprisonment. Scientific evidence collection becomes standard practice under these new laws in India.

The new criminal laws allow:

Filing FIRs online through Crime and Criminal Tracking Network Systems (CCTNS)
Electronic recording of search and seizure procedures
Virtual trials, inquiries, and proceedings through electronic modes

BNSS sets strict timelines for various procedures. Courts must deliver judgment within 30 days after completing arguments. This addresses a major challenge in our justice system.

BSA: Adapting evidence law to the digital age

The Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA), the third pillar of the new criminal laws, changes evidence handling fundamentally. Electronic records now serve as primary evidence, unlike their previous classification as secondary evidence.

The new criminal laws broaden the “document” definition to include emails, server logs, smartphone data, website content, and locational evidence. BSA requires a two-tiered certification system where both the device controller and a qualified expert must authenticate electronic records.

New applications support these new laws. E-Sakshya helps with digital evidence collection, e-Summon delivers summons electronically, and Nyaya-Shruti enables video conferencing. Citizens now have access to a more efficient, transparent, and technologically advanced justice system through these new criminal laws.

How the New Laws Impact You

The new criminal laws change how every citizen deals with India’s justice system. These new laws in India put citizens first by making procedures more convenient and protecting their rights, unlike the old colonial system.

Filing FIRs and police procedures under BNSS

Section 173 of BNSS has transformed how FIRs are filed. You can now submit electronic FIRs that need signing within 3 days. The system recognizes Zero FIR, so you can report crimes at any police station. The new criminal laws protect vulnerable groups. Female officers must record statements from women victims. People with disabilities can give statements at home with interpreters present.

Your rights as a victim or witness

The new criminal laws give victims more rights than ever before. You can get free FIR copies and updates about your case within 90 days. Police must provide reports within 14 days. The new criminal laws make life easier for certain groups. Women, people under 15 or over 60, and those with disabilities don’t need to visit police stations. BNSS requires state governments to protect witnesses through a dedicated protection scheme.

How digital evidence can now be used in court

Digital evidence plays a central role in the new criminal laws. BSA smoothly includes electronic records in its provisions. The new criminal laws require audio-video recording when conducting searches and seizures to maintain evidence integrity. Electronic evidence needs proper certification to prove its source and authenticity.

Community service and new sentencing options

The new criminal laws bring community service as a new way to serve punishment. BNS describes this as work that helps the community without pay. This option works for six specific crimes, including first-time theft cases where stolen items worth less than Rs.5,000 are returned. We have a long way to go, but we can build on this progress since the new criminal laws still need detailed guidelines about monitoring community service.

Challenges and the Road Ahead

The new criminal laws face major hurdles as India moves away from colonial codes to a modernized justice system. We prepared extensively, but implementation challenges could weaken their impact if not fixed quickly.

Implementation gaps and training needs

The government has trained 8,40,465 officials, including 8,16,146 police officers. However, things don’t work well at the grassroots level. Reports from the field show many police personnel got just one day of training. This isn’t enough for laws that revolutionize India’s criminal justice framework. The new criminal laws need resilient infrastructure that’s still missing in rural and semi-urban areas. Many police stations don’t have the right digital equipment to collect electronic evidence as required by the new criminal laws.

Concerns over extended police custody

Section 187 of BNSS stands out as a controversial part of the new criminal laws. It lets police get custody for 15 days, either at once or in parts, during the original 40 or 60 days of judicial custody. Human rights groups warn this rule in the new criminal laws might put accused persons at higher risk of police torture and intimidation. Legal experts say the new criminal laws should include specific protections that the Parliamentary Standing Committee suggested.

Balancing state security with individual rights

The new criminal laws must strike a careful balance between national security and civil liberties. These laws boost security measures, but critics point out that exceptions to surveillance protections under new data laws need clear guidelines. The new criminal laws need strong oversight systems to stop any misuse of expanded powers. This balance is vital for democratic governance under the new criminal laws.

Public awareness and legal literacy

PIB, AIR, Doordarshan, and MyGov have run extensive publicity campaigns, but people still don’t know enough about the new criminal laws. The Department of Justice says legal literacy is vital to access justice, especially when disadvantaged groups try to understand the new criminal laws. UGC has sent informative flyers to 1,200 universities and 40,000 colleges to spread awareness. The new criminal laws will work only if citizens understand their rights and duties under this reformed system.

Conclusion

India’s justice system has reached a defining moment with its shift from colonial-era legislation to modern criminal laws. These reforms revolutionize how justice works for every citizen. BNS, BNSS, and BSA create a framework built for 21st-century India, replacing outdated colonial codes that failed to serve the country for over 160 years.

The reforms put citizens first through digital breakthroughs like online FIR filing and virtual court proceedings. Victims now have stronger rights, while police procedures have become more accountable and transparent. The laws also introduce progressive alternatives like community service instead of purely punitive measures for minor offenses.

These reforms face major implementation hurdles. Police training lags in many areas despite nationwide efforts. The technology infrastructure needs substantial upgrades, especially in rural districts. The extended police custody provisions need careful monitoring to prevent misuse.

In spite of that, these reforms show how our justice system has grown. BSA’s acceptance of electronic evidence as primary evidence reflects our digital reality. BNSS makes procedures simpler that once caused endless delays. BNS tackles modern crimes including terrorism and organized crime networks. These changes create a more responsive framework for justice delivery.

Legal reforms will work through citizen awareness and participation. Everyone must understand how these laws protect their rights. Legal literacy programs need to expand faster to help citizens direct their way through the new system effectively.

The road ahead has its challenges, but these reforms promise a more efficient, victim-focused justice system. The move away from colonial-era codes lines up our legal framework with constitutional values and democratic aspirations. These changes stand as both a practical and symbolic achievement – replacing tools of subjugation with instruments of justice designed by Indians, for Indians.