India’s legislation: a parliamentary shift

The Indian government made significant legislative changes in the fiscal year 2023-24. This bulletin outlines key amendments made to laws, while foregrounding the nation’s constitutional valuesThe first Law Minister of India, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, would cast a skeptical eye on proceedings as they unfolded at the New Parliament House. After all, he was the one to say, “If I find the Constitution being misused, I shall be the first to burn it.”The PARI Library takes a hard look at the important new Bills passed in Parliament in 2023 that threaten citizens’ constitutional rights.Take the case of the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act, 2023. India’s forests are no longer inviolate if they lie near borders. Consider the example of the North East of India that shares international borders with multiple countries. The ‘unclassed forests’ of North East make up more than 50 per cent of recorded forest areas that can now, after the amendment, be taken up for military and other uses.In the digital privacy space, a new law – the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita Act – makes it easier for investigative agencies to seize digital devices like phones and laptops during an investigation – threatening citizens’ most basic right to privacy...