A Brief Synopsis of the New Offences/Procedures Recommended by the Justice Verma Committee on Amendments to Criminal Law
| DOI | 10.1177/2277401720130111 |
| Date | 01 June 2013 |
| Published date | 01 June 2013 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
A BRIEF SYNOPSIS OF THE NEW
OFFENCES/PROCEDURES RECOMMENDED
BY THE JUSTICE VERMA COMMITTEE ON
AMENDMENTS TO CRIMINAL LAW
Mrinal Satish* and Shwetasree Majumder**
INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................... 173
I. AMENDMENTS TO THE I.P.C. AND THE INTRODUCTION OF NEW
OFFENCES ............................................................................................... 174
A. Acid Attacks .................................................................................... 174
B. Sexual Assault .................................................................................. 176
C. Public Disrobing of a Woman .......................................................... 178
D. Voyeurism .........................................................................................178
E. Stalking ............................................................................................ 179
II. AMENDMENTS TO THE CODE OF CRIMINAL PROCEDURE................... 181
A. Section 39, Cr.P.C. ............................................................................181
B. Section 40A, Cr.P.C. .........................................................................182
C. Section 54A, Cr.P.C. .........................................................................182
D. Section 154, Cr.P.C. ..........................................................................183
E. Section 160, Cr.P.C. ......................................................................... 184
F. Section 164, Cr.P.C. ..........................................................................184
G. Section 197, Cr.P.C. ......................................................................... 185
H. Section 198B, Cr.P.C. ....................................................................... 186
I. Section 327, Cr.P.C. ..........................................................................186
J. Section 357, Cr.P.C. ..........................................................................187
K. Amendments to the First Schedule of the Cr.P.C. ............................ 187
III. AMENDMENTS TO THE INDIAN EVIDENCE ACT (IEA) ......................... 187
A. Amendments to Sections 53A and 146, IEA ....................................187
B. Amendment to Section 114A, IEA ...................................................188
C. Amendment to Section 119 .............................................................. 188
CONCLUSION .......................................................................................... 189
* Associate Professor of Laws, National Law University, Delhi.
** Partner, Fidus Law Chambers. Both the authors were part of the research team that
assisted the Justice Verma Committee. They have prepared this synopsis in their individual
capacities. They do not purport to represent the views, or speak for, the Justice Verma
Committee. An earlier version of this synopsis has been published on the online legal
website, Bar & Bench.
INTRODUCTION
Rape law reform in India has more often than not been sporadic and
reactionary. Post the enactment of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in 1860, the
first major changes to Sections 375 and 376 (which define and punish the
offence of rape) were made in 1983. This was in response to reactions of
1
civil society, and academia to the judgment of the Supreme Court in the
2
Mathura rape case. The next major change occurred earlier this year with
the promulgation of the Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance, 2013, in
February 2013, as a reaction to the Delhi gang rape incident of December
16. This was followed by the enactment of the Criminal Law (Amendment)
Act in March 2013. Coincidentally, in order to fulfil longstanding demands
for reform in rape laws, the government had introduced a Criminal Law
(Amendment) Bill, in the Lok Sabha on December 4, 2012. The gang rape
incident of December 16 led to protests and added fresh impetus to demands
for a critical re-look at existing rape laws. In response, the Government of
India set up a Committee under the Chairmanship of Chief Justice J.S.
Verma. The mandate of the Committee was to review existing laws and
suggest amendments to criminal law to effectively deal with instances of
3
sexual violence.
The Committee, however, did not view its mandate as only involving
the drafting of new laws. It placed its mandate within the framework of the
Constitution. The Committee grounded its report in the State's obligation to
secure the fundamental rights of its citizens, which includes the right of
every person, including women to assert one's individual autonomy. The
Committee felt that if women are denied autonomy, even by actors other
than State, the duty of the State does not diminish only on that ground. The
failure to secure rights of women results in the State denying the right to
4
equality and dignity that women are guaranteed under the Constitution.
The Committee's report, including the new offences that have been created
and modifications that have been suggested of the existing ones, need to be
viewed within this Constitutional framework.
1 See Upendra Baxi, Vasudha Dhagamwar, Raghunath Kelkar, Lotika Sarkar, An Open Letter
to the Chief Justice of India, (1979) 4 S.C.C. 17 (JOURNAL).
2 Tukaram v. State of Maharashtra, A.I.R. 1978 SC 185.
3 See Government of India Notification No. SO (3003) E, Dec. 23, 2012.
4 JUSTICE VERMA COMMITTEE, REPORT ON AMENDMENTS TO CRIMINAL LAW 65-67 (2013)
[hereinafter REPORT].
A Brief Synopsis of the New Offences/Procedures 173
2013]
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