The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam came into force on July 1, 2024, replacing the Indian Penal Code (1860), Code of Criminal Procedure (1973), and Indian Evidence Act (1872) respectively. The laws introduced significant changes — mandatory videography of crime scenes, time-bound trial provisions, a new offence of 'terrorism' in the main criminal code, and changes to bail conditions. Nine months into implementation, an NT survey of 48 police stations across UP, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Bihar, West Bengal and Punjab finds a mixed picture.
New Criminal Laws — Nine-Month Implementation Check
- All three laws effective July 1, 2024 (replacing IPC, CrPC, Evidence Act)
- BPR&D: only 28% of police personnel have completed mandatory new-law training
- FIR confusion: 23% of FIRs in NT survey cited wrong section numbers (BNS vs IPC)
- Videography of crime scene (mandatory): being done in only 34% of eligible cases
- Trial courts: 61% still using CrPC-era software — IPC references in charge-sheets
- Legal aid lawyers: 79% in NT survey report needing a 'BNS translation layer' for clients
“The law changed. The training did not keep pace. A constable in a district station who filed FIRs under IPC for 20 years is now supposed to apply BNS sections — with no computer system updated, no refresher training, just a booklet.”
— DGP (retired), a state cadre officer speaking on condition of anonymity
28%
Police trained on new laws
23%
FIRs with wrong sections
34%
Crime scene videos taken
3
Laws replacing colonial codes
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Ananya Krishnamurthy
Judiciary Reporter
Ananya covers the Supreme Court, High Courts and access-to-justice issues from New Delhi. She has reported on landmark constitutional cases since 2019.