GUWAHATI: In a recent move to strengthen legal provisions against crimes against women, the government has incorporated two additional sections in the proposed criminal bill, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which is slated to replace the existing Indian Penal Code and other criminal laws.
In the earlier version of the bill, Section 85 outlined a three-year jail term for individuals found guilty of subjecting a woman to cruelty, particularly by her husband or in-laws. The updated version of the bill introduces Section 86, which explicitly defines "cruelty" to encompass harm to a woman's mental health and physical well-being, as per reports.
The second added section reportedly addresses the crucial issue of protecting the identity of survivors of sexual assault. Under this provision, disclosing the identity of a sexual assault survivor from court proceedings without proper authorisation will result in a two-year jail term.
The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Bill, presented in the Lok Sabha on August 11, is part of a legislative trio that includes the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam bills. Together, these bills aim to replace the Code of Criminal Procedure Act, 1898, the Indian Penal Code, 1860, and the Indian Evidence Act, 1872.