Piloting the Bills, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said these are aimed at indigenising laws originally enacted by the British.

According to the government, three specific provisions that have been symbols of colonial imprint in the IPC – sedition, criminalisation of homosexuality and adultery – had been repealed.

The fine print, however, shows that the offence of sedition, currently rendered inoperable by a Supreme Court order, has had a name change from ‘rajdroh’ to ‘deshdroh’.

Expanding detention in police custody from the current 15-day limit to up to 90 days, bringing terror, corruption and organised crime under ordinary legislation for the first time to decriminalising homosexuality and adultery are some other key features of the laws.

Opposing the Bills, AIMIM’s Asaduddin Owaisi had said, “These three criminal Bills are themselves felonious. Instead of preventing crimes, they are an attempt to give legal cover to the government’s crimes… The reality is that there is no greater punishment for the poor, the Dalits and Muslims in this country than their very lives.”

Owaisi also spoke about extended police custody and stringent bail conditions in the Bills apart from the offence of sedition being reframed.

Parliament Session Continues

As per the list of business, the Lok Sabha will consider any item that was listed for June 28 and was not concluded.

In the Rajya Sabha, Jitendra Singh. Kirtivardhan Singh and L Murugan will lay the papers for the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions; Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change; and Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs respectively.

Proceedings in the Lok Sabha were stalled Friday (June 28) amid acrimonious scenes after Speaker Om Birla refused permission to the Opposition’s demand for a discussion on the NEET paper leak issue. In the Rajya Sabha, a lacklustre debate followed after a couple of adjournments and staging of a walkout by Opposition members.

Bail pleas in Delhi HC

The Delhi High Court is likely to pronounce on Monday its order on bail pleas of BRS leader K Kavitha in the corruption and money laundering cases linked to the alleged excise policy scam.

Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma, who had reserved the order on the two bail pleas of Kavitha on May 28, is scheduled to pass the verdict at 2:30 PM on July 1.

Kavitha has challenged the trial court’s May 6 order by which her bail applications in the CBI’s corruption case as well as the ED’s money laundering case were dismissed.

Kavitha’s lawyer had submitted that out of the 50 accused in the excise matter, she is the lone woman, and urged the court to consider granting her bail.

The CBI and ED had opposed this, saying she was highly influential and powerful enough to influence witnesses.

The Delhi High Court will on Monday also deliver its verdict on the issue of maintainability of a plea by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s close aide Bibhav Kumar challenging his arrest in connection with the alleged assault on AAP MP Swati Maliwal at the CM’s residence.

Justice Sharma had reserved order on the maintainability of Kumar’s petition on May 31 after hearing his counsel as well as the lawyers appearing for the Delhi Police.

Kumar, presently in judicial custody, allegedly assaulted Maliwal on May 13 at Kejriwal’s official residence. He was arrested on May 18.

Kumar, in his plea, has sought a direction to declare his arrest as illegal and in gross violation of the provisions of Section 41A (notice of appearance before police officer) of the Code of Criminal Procedure and against the mandate of the law.

—- With PTI inputs