The Bar Council of West Bengal has announced a ‘Black Day’ protest on 1st July against the implementation of three new criminal laws by the central government, which aim to replace the Indian Penal Code, the Evidence Act, and the Criminal Procedure Code.
In a resolution passed on June 25, 2024, the council expressed unanimous opposition to the new laws: the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanita, 2023, and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023. The council labeled these acts as “anti-people, undemocratic, and draconian,” warning that their implementation would cause significant hardship to the common people.
The resolution stated: “The Members of the Council express their unanimous views regarding the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanita, 2023, and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023. These three acts are anti-people, undemocratic, draconian, and will cause great hardship to the common people. The Bar Council of West Bengal, finding no other alternative, raises their protest vehemently against these three anti-people acts.”
In solidarity with this stance, the members of the Bar Council have resolved to observe 1st July as a Black Day. Lawyers across West Bengal and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands will abstain from all judicial work to organize protest rallies.
The Bar Council of India’s stance on these laws has also been a point of contention. Live Law reported that the Bar Council of India assured various bar associations that it would convey their concerns regarding the new criminal laws to the central government.
The protest reflects growing unease within the legal community about the potential impact of these sweeping legislative changes.
