Morning Digest | Lok Sabha passes Telecom Bill 2023, to replace 138-year-old Indian Telegraph Act; India will ‘definitely look into’ any information on alleged Pannun assassination attempt, says PM Modi, and more

The Hindu Morning Digest gives a select list of stories to start the day. Read the top news today on December 21, 2023

Parliament proceedings | Lok Sabha passes Bills to replace British-era criminal laws

The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed three amended Bills that seek to repeal and replace criminal laws which date back to colonial times. This criminal law reform brings terrorism offences into a general crime law for the first time, drops the crime of sedition, and makes mob lynching punishable by death.

New criminal Bills have provisions for time-bound investigation and trial: Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday that after the implementation of the three new criminal Bills there would be a uniform justice system throughout the country. He said the proposed laws were victim-centred and fixed the accountability of the police. He said an independent Director of Prosecution would be appointed at the district and State levels, where the role of the police would only be advisory.

Government issues COVID-19 alert, says no clustering of JN.1 cases

Admitting that India has registered a rise in the daily COVID-19 positivity rate in some States, including Kerala, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Karnataka, the Union Health Ministry on Wednesday, while issuing an alert, said that no clustering of cases had been reported in the new JN.1 variant of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.

INDIA parties may move court to challenge criminal code Bill