New Bill: Big Punishment For Spreading Fake News!

Union Home Minister Amit Shah tabled three bills in the Lok Sabha recently. The proposed bills were sent to the Standing Committee for review. A jail sentence was proposed for false news and fake news in the bill.

As per the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Bill-2023, sharing or spreading 'fake news or misleading information that harms the sovereignty and security of India would attract jail term under section 195. Under 195 (1) (D), they shall be punished for up to three years or imposed a pine. Sometimes, both can be imposed.

It is said that the details of the sections are there in Chapter 11 of the newly proposed Bill under "Offences against Public Tranquility", under the heading "Allegations and claims prejudicial to national unity". The provisions related to "accusations and claims that disturb national unity" are under Section 153B of the IPC.

While tabling the bills, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the soul of the bills is to safeguard the rights offered to the citizens by the Constitution. He tabled the bills Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Bill-2023, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita Bill-2023, and the Bharatiya Sakshya Bill-2023.

The three bills will replace the Indian Penal Code-IPC (1860), the Code of Criminal Procedure-CrPC(1898), and the Indian Evidence Act(1872).

As part of that, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Bill will come in the place of the Indian Penal Code, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita Bill in the place of the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Bharatiya Sakshya Bill in the place of the Indian Evidence Act.