ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE LATEST CRIMINAL PROCEDURE BILL

New Delhi (The Quiver) : The Lok Sabha on Monday passed the Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill by a voice vote. 

The bill seeks to replace the Identification of Prisoners Act, of 1920 .Union home minister Amit Shah addressed all concerns raised by the MPs about the legislation and why is it needed to replace the previous bill . Shah said, “Next-generation crimes cannot be tackled with old techniques. We have to try to take the criminal justice system to the next era.”

Here are the five vital things you need to know about the Bill

The bill allows police and prison authorities to legally collect, store and analyse physical and biological samples including retina and iris scans of the convicts. The record of measurements will be kept for a period of 75 years from the date of collection, mentions the bill.

The bill proposes a legal collection of behavioural attributes including signatures, handwriting, or any other examination referred under Section 53 or Section 53A of CrPC of the convicts.

The Bill mentions , In cases where the convicts resists against taking the measurements, it will be termed as an offence under Section 186 of the IPC (obstructing public servant) ,leading to a jail term of three months, or a fine of ₹500 or both.

Under what Circumstance can convicts refuse to give their biological samples?

The government has also clarified that people who are not convicted or arrested for crimes against women or children, or those people who are in custody for an offence that is punishable for less than seven years can refuse to give their biological samples.

Union home minister Amit Shah on Monday said that these provisions will only be used in the cases of “heinous crimes”. He added that corresponding clarification will follow in the rules of the bill. According to him, the legislation is aimed at “strengthening law and order and national security of the country”.