The National Law University (NLU)-Delhi has been invited to make a presentation before the parliamentary committee on home affairs on three criminal codes, Vice-Chancellor G.S. Bajpai said.
Professor Bajpai was speaking at the 10th convocation of NLU-Delhi on Saturday when 84 and 78 students from the undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, respectively, received degrees in law. Five doctoral degrees were also awarded at the convocation.
“NLU-Delhi, through the Committee for Reforms in Criminal Law [CRCL], spearheaded the ongoing criminal law reforms. Incidentally, I had the very good fortune of serving as the convener of the committee. It is heartening to note that several progressive provisions in the Bills recently introduced in the Parliament were inspired by the committee recommendations. We have also been invited to make a presentation before the recently constituted Joint Parliamentary Committee on the subject of amended laws,” he said.
The three new criminal codes — Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Bill, 2023, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) Bill, 2023 and Bharatiya Sakshya (BS) Bill, 2023 — will replace the Indian Penal Code, 1860, Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898, and the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 respectively. The Bills were introduced on August 11 in Parliament and have been referred to the parliamentary standing committee on home affairs for examination.
Interdisciplinary legal research
Professor Bajpai underscored NLU-Delhi’s commitment to interdisciplinary legal research by highlighting the launch of Ph.D. degree in social sciences. He mentioned how NLU-Delhi proposed the institution of the Chief Minister’s Fellowship to law students, in order to bridge the gap of opportunity that often ails the education system. As part of this initiative, 6 fellowships, each valued at ₹50,000 per month would be awarded to graduate students and the recipients would actively collaborate with various governmental departments, aiding them in policy formulations and evaluation, and in the process empowering both the students and the Government of Delhi.
Justice S. Ravindra Bhat, Judge, Supreme Court of India and Visitor, NLU-Delhi, who delivered the convocation address, said, “Study of law is not a means of lucrative career, it is a profound commitment of upholding justice to serve the needs of society and safeguarding the principles enshrined in our Constitution and legal system.”
“As someone who lived through the emergency, I hold a firm conviction that our collective ability to raise critical and honest questions will profoundly shape the society as we wish to construct. Today, I implore you to unflinchingly embrace the audacity to pursue forthright answers and not merely settle for convenient ones. Upon your generation falls the task of maintaining and furthering the culture of our Constitution,” he added.
