New criminal laws will make India more afraid of police

MR Shamshad
Aug 31, 2023 | 15:25 IST

Police reforms are the need of the hour. Instead of addressing that, the proposed criminal laws have only shed their colonial names. What they will end up doing is more harm than good

The express purpose and goal of bringing any new law, or amending an existing one, is to bring changes that would further ensure fairness and efficacy in the system of delivering justice. It cannot be done to just create some impression of removing its colonial legacy by merely changing the names of the legislation and bestowing more powers to the police system.

In the present setup, the police already have sufficient powers to undertake the process it wants. It is naturally mighty, replete with discretionary powers, and operates without any visible and practical accountability.
/india
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