New criminal laws: First FIR filed in Delhi’s Seelampur, second in Kamla market

With the new criminal code, Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, coming into force from Monday, the first FIR (First Information Report) was filed in the city’s Seelampur police station at around midnight while the second was lodged in Kamla market at around 12.15 am last night.

The first FIR lodged, under clause 109 (1), was over a gunfiring incident in the Seelampur area leading to the injury of one person while the second FIR was lodged against a street vendor for obstructing a road near the New Delhi railway station.

The second FIR was filed under Section 285 of the new criminal code. It was filed after a street vendor was spotted selling water bottles and tobacco on the road, leading to public inconvenience and blockage of the passageway. Despite persuasion by the cops, he refused to budge, following which he was booked under the new criminal code.

Notably, Section 285 of Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita 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 fine which may extend to five thousand rupees.”

The vendor has been reportedly identified as Pankaj Kumar from Patna in Bihar.

Three new criminal codes — Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam came into force today.

Replacing the colonial era Indian Penal Code (IPC), Indian Evidence Act and the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), the new laws aim to modernise the justice system by introducing features like Zero FIR, online police complaint registration, electronic summons via SMS and videography of the crime scenes for all serious offences.