DMK, AIADMK protest against new criminal laws; Bar Association too joins the bandwagon

CHENNAI: The advocates wing of rival Dravidian parties DMK and AIADMK came on the same page in their opposition to the implementation of the three new criminal laws brought in by the Union government, conducting protests on the HC premises.

The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court Bar Association boycotted the court proceedings demanding immediate withdrawal of the new criminal laws and opposing the usage of Hindi words among other objections.

On December 20 last year, three new bills replacing IPC, CrPC and Indian Evidence Act with Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha and Bharatiya Sakshya were passed by the BJP-led NDA government in the Parliament.

These three bills were discussed and passed with a voice vote, in the absence of the majority of opposition members from the INDIA bloc, as they were suspended during the session.

Since then several advocates, lawyers, social activists and political parties have raised their objections to replacing the 150-year-old criminal laws and using Hindi and Sanskrit words in the nomenclature.

Despite vehement objections from the various stakeholders, the new criminal laws are implemented on July 1. Condemning the Union government for implementing the new criminal laws, the advocates’ wing of DMK held a demonstration on the Madras High Court campus demanding their withdrawal. More than 150 advocates and lawyers belonging to the DMK participated in the demonstration. They raised slogans against the Union government seeking to withdraw the criminal laws.

Senior counsel and DMK MP

NR Elango said that there is nothing in the new criminal laws demanding their implementation, dropping the time-tested ones. He rebutted claims made by the Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the issue.

The Home Minister had claimed that “the new criminal laws have ended the era of British laws in India, converting the criminal justice system into completely Swadeshi.” Such claims are false said NR Ilango. “It will be very difficult to implement these laws. Much burden on the shoulders of the persons facing charges,” he added.

NR Elango also cautioned that all these three laws will go against the criminal justice delivery system, hence it should be withdrawn immediately. DMK has also announced a hunger strike on July 6, Saturday at Rajarathnam Stadium in Chennai demanding the withdrawal of the three criminal laws. AIADMK advocates too conducted a demonstration on the High Court led by advocate IS Inbadurai condemning the newly implemented criminal laws. In the guise of implementing the new criminal laws, Hindi has been imposed by the Union government, they charged. These are contraventions that go against the core of our Constitution, the AIADMK advocates raised slogans.

The new criminal laws will ultimately leave the litigants, advocates and even judges in chaos, which will result in a delay in delivering justice, said Inbadurai. “The whole justice delivery system will be cramped because of this ill-conceived move,” he added.

The AIADMK leader attacked the ruling DMK for adopting double standards by implementing them on the one hand and resorting to conduct protests on the other. He pointed out how Chief Minister MK Stalin had announced in the Assembly that the government was providing special coaching to the authorities to implement the criminal laws.

The Madras High Court’s Madurai Bench Bar Association too boycotted the courts on Friday raising their voice against the implementation of the new criminal laws. The Bar Association convened its general meeting and unanimously resolved to register its objection to the sudden implementation of new criminal laws.

The Union government’s move of passing the bills replacing older criminal laws by implementing new criminal laws, without getting consent from the stakeholders, opposition parties and advocates is autocratic and goes against democracy, said M Saravana Kumar, the general secretary of Madras High Court’s Madurai Bench Bar Association. He alleged cops are left in ambiguity about how to implement these new criminal laws. “If they can’t handle the development it will ultimately affect the litigants and general public,” he lamented. Saravana Kumar also said that a memorandum was sent to the President of India.

The Madras High Court Advocate’s Association has made a decision in its general body meeting to boycott the court proceedings on July 8 in protest against the implementation.

Emergency 24X7 under new criminal laws: CPM

CPM state secretary K Balakrishnan on Friday alleged that after the implementation of the new criminal laws, there nation will be in a state of Emergency always. "If the new criminal laws are implemented, there is no need to declare an Emergency. Because it will be like an Emergency every day. We will be under a dictatorial government,” he said while addressing a protest against the implementation of the new Criminal laws outside the Madras High Court. He recalled that the Criminal bills were passed in haste, without debate in the Parliament.