AG R Venkataramani, SG Tushar Mehta speak on new criminal laws, India's diversity at ICCPR Review in Geneva

The Indian delegation, spearheaded by Attorney General R Venkataramani and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, recently took part in an event held at Geneva to mark India's fourth periodic review of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) by the Human Rights Committee set up by United Nations under the covenant. .The Indian delegation also included Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, Secretary (West) Pavan Kapoor and senior officials from the Union Ministries of Women and Child Development, Social Justice and Empowerment and Minority Affairs.The Human Rights Committee, which consists of 18 independent experts, evaluates ICCPR implementation, reviews reports from State Parties, and makes recommendations accordingly.India, a State Party since 1979, has undergone three previous reviews, the last being in 1997. The latest review held on July 15-16, 2024, involved discussions on a wide range of civil and political rights issues, showcasing India's commitment to human rights..Attorney General (AG) Venkataramani while referring to the new criminal laws in India stated that it was the biggest criminal law reform undertaken by the country. "It needs to be mentioned here that India has undertaken one of the biggest criminal law reforms in its history by enacting three major legislations, which addresses important concerns in the administration of criminal justice including expeditious disposal of cases," said the AG. The Attorney General further highlighted the enactment of a Constitutional Amendment in 2023, which mandates reservation of one-thirds of seats for women in the parliament. "Thirty-two years of similar constitutional provision for women’s participation in local governance bodies, has enhanced their role in being equal partners in public life," said the AG. The AG added that discrimination, inequality and injustice still persist and new threats continue to emerge, but that these challenges only strengthens India's resolve and her commitment to realise the dreams of the founding members of India's Constitution of liberty, equality and fraternity..Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta, while addressing the chair, focused on India's diversity, its socio-economic transformation and even how its press has evolved over the years. "The complexity of our size and diversity continue to be our strength, as also our challenge and opportunity. To share an interesting data point, from a little over 200 dailies published post-independence, Indian readers today get to choose from a bouquet of over 1 hundred and 46 thousand registered newspapers and periodicals, to start their mornings," said the SG. .SG Mehta stated that terrorism continues to remain the foremost threat to international peace and security. He remarked that terrorism is a direct attack on human rights, depriving innocent and unsuspecting people of the most fundamental of all rights, the right to life."Unfortunately, we have seen terrorism in many avatars and we firmly believe that it is the duty of States to ensure security of their citizens. To counter this threat, we have established effective legal and institutional mechanisms to combat terrorism, including preventing terrorists from accessing financial resources. While our counter-terrorism laws and policies are in compliance with our human rights obligations and are subject to rigorous judicial oversight, they too have been evolving with time," the SG stressed. .Referring to the evolution of Public Interest Litigations in Indian courts, SG Mehta added that India was probably the only nation where a citizen can approach the highest Constitutional Court of the country for infringement or even threat of infringement of his fundamental right.