New Delhi: As the new criminal code, Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, came into force today, the first FIR was filed against a street vendor for obstructing a road near the New Delhi Railway Station. The FIR was filed under Section 285 of the new criminal code, which states, “Whoever, by doing any act, or by omitting to take order with any property in his possession or under his charge, causes danger, obstruction or injury to any person in any public way or public line of navigation, shall be punished with a fine which may extend to five thousand rupees.”
The FIR was filed after a police personnel on patrol duty last night spotted the street vendor selling water bottles and gutkha on the road. His makeshift stall had obstructed the road, and despite repeated requests to move it, the vendor did not comply. Consequently, the police personnel registered an FIR.
According to the FIR, the street vendor had parked his stall near a foot overbridge near the New Delhi Railway Station late last night. “The man was selling water, bidi, and cigarettes on the street, causing obstruction and difficulty for the public. The sub-inspector asked the man several times to remove the stall from the road, but he did not comply. The sub-inspector asked several passers-by to join the probe, but they refused. Then the sub-inspector shot a video using the e-praman application,” the FIR says. The vendor has been identified as Pankaj Kumar from Patna in Bihar.
Three new criminal codes — Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam — have come into force today, replacing the colonial-era Indian Penal Code, Indian Evidence Act, and the Code of Criminal Procedure.
These changes aim to ensure speedy justice and address new kinds of crime. Judgments are now required within 45 days of the completion of the trial, and charges must be framed within 60 days of the first hearing. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has stated that the change was made to ensure “speedy justice and justice to all.” However, opposition parties, including the Congress, argue that the decision to implement the new criminal laws was taken in haste.