Tamil Nadu’s ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has announced plans to stage protests in courts across the state against the three newly-enacted criminal laws introduced by the Centre, sources reported on Monday.
Led by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, the party’s legal wing will organize these protests in various courts statewide.
A decision to hold state-wide demonstrations against the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA) was made during a meeting on Monday, where a resolution was passed to conduct protests on July 5.
The DMK’s legal wing will also hold a hunger strike on July 6 near Rajarathna Stadium in Chennai to protest these laws.
In addition, the party plans to organize discussions about the new criminal laws and has invited citizens and lawyers from all political backgrounds to participate.
Earlier on Monday, the Opposition sharply criticized the government as the new criminal laws took effect, accusing it of forcefully passing the legislation by suspending MPs and asserting that significant portions of the laws are merely “cut, copy and paste” from existing laws.
The three laws, BNS, BNSS, and BSA, officially replaced the colonial-era Indian Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure, and the Indian Evidence Act, respectively, on Monday.