Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced the replacement of colonial-era laws with three new criminal laws in Assam. The announcement was made during a press meeting where Sarma announced, "Today we have replaced the colonial laws in India with the three new laws. Today at 12:32 PM, the first case under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, was registered at Nagaon Police Station".
Sarma further said "We have taken adequate measures to transform these three new criminal laws. 115 master trainers of Assam Police have been working on this for the last few months. Under Nyaya Sanhita, the usage of forensic evidence has been made mandatory, under which we have already established five forensic labs in Assam," he explained.
The Chief Minister also said that extensive training was provided to law enforcement and judicial officers to ensure the smooth adoption of the new laws. "Assam Police, along with Assam Government and judicial officers, have been given proper training to adopt these criminal laws. We are well equipped to handle the criminal justice system in the changed situation," Sarma stated.
The CM also said, "Today is a very important day in the nation's journey to decolonize ourselves. We started the journey in 1947. Today we achieved an important milestone. The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita will transform our criminal justice system from punitive towards justice."
"Today we have achieved a milestone where we have democratized our criminal laws," Sarma added.