First case under new criminal laws filed in Delhi against a street vendor today

As soon as the new criminal laws came into effect on July 1, the first case under the new Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita was registered in Delhi against a street vendor. The case was filed as the street vendor located near the New Delhi Railway station was reportedly obstructing a road. 

The First Information Report was filed under the new criminal code section 285 which states that a punishment of up to five thousand rupees shall be imposed on anybody who, by act or by failing to obey orders involving any property in his custody or charge, endangers, obstructs, or injures any person on any public road or public navigation channel.

A police officer on patrol last night noticed the street seller selling gutkha and water bottles on the road, so they made a formal complaint. He was requested to relocate his improvised stall many times since it was blocking the roadway. When he didn't, the police took action to file a formal complaint.

According to the FIR, the public was having trouble because of the obstacle, and the man was making money on the street by selling cigarettes, bidis, and water. The man was repeatedly ordered to relocate the stall off the road by the sub-inspector, but he refused. Some bystanders were requested to join the investigation by the sub-inspector, but they declined. Next, the sub-inspector used the e-praman programme to record a video.

Three new criminal laws-- Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA)-- have come into effect today.

These laws will replace the British-era Indian Penal Code (IPC), Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and Indian Evidence Act. The changes in the criminal justice system are aimed at a more streamlined and victim-centric approach.