New Criminal Laws Mark Constitutional Transformation, Making the Process Victim-Centric, Citizen-Responsive and Justice-Oriented: Madras High Court

The Madras High Court recently remarked that the newly enacted criminal laws—Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS), and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023—have fundamentally transformed the criminal justice system in India. The Court noted that these laws have re-engineered the criminal process to be victim-centric, citizen-responsive, and justice-oriented, in contrast to the colonial-era laws designed primarily to control the subjects rather than deliver justice. Justice L…