New Delhi: The Union home ministry wants to overhaul the British-era Indian Penal Code (IPC) to remedy its spirit of “master and servant,” according to a report by The Hindu.This development comes after Union home minister Amit Shah had previously raised the issue, saying the IPC was meant to “maintain the stability of the British Empire”. On August 28, he said the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) should begin a nationwide consultation to revamp the IPC and Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).According to The Hindu, the Centre will now move ahead with the proposal. The home ministry has constituted two committees comprising legal luminaries for the purpose.An official told the newspaper that the idea behind the overhaul is to change the “master-servant concept” envisaged in the IPC. “After it was framed, the IPC has never been amended in totality. Some additions and deletions have been made,” the official said.The official said that the IPC provided “uneven punishment for crimes of grievous nature”. For crimes such as snatching of chains or bags could be life-threatening in some cases, but the IPC does not provide punishment that is commensurate with the gravity of the crime, he said. “Depending on the whims of the police, it is booked under robbery or theft. We have to standardise the punishment,” he told The Hindu.The newspaper reported that a 2016 attempt by the home ministry to insert two stricter anti-racial discrimination provisions in the IPC received a lukewarm response from state governments.Amit Shah’s statementsSpeaking on the BPR&D’s 49th founding day, Shah said that the role of the police has changed from the British era. He said in colonial times, the primary function of police was to maintain the stability of the British empire. “Sardar Patel brought forth a new paradigm for the Indian police system after independence to serve people and protect their rights,” he said.He also said that the police system needs to be modernised and that the BPR&D should take the lead in this matter.In mid-September, Shah wrote to Rajasthan and other state governments that changs may be required to the IPC, CrPC, Arms Act and the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) to ensure “speedy justice and simplify legal processes”.While he did not mention any particular changes, the home minister emphasised the need for change in the laws that have been in force many years, according to Hindustan Times.
