Parliament Diary

The Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill, 2022 was taken up in the Lok Sabha for consideration and passing today. The Bill replaces the Identification of Prisoners Act, 1920 which allows the collection of certain identifiable information about specified persons such as convicts for investigation of crimes. The Bill expands the ambit of such details, and persons covered under the law. It authorises the National Crime Records Bureau to collect, store, and preserve these details for 75 years from the date of collection.

Moving the Bill for discussion, the Home Minister said that this Bill is an important step in increasing the conviction rate which will help in maintaining law and order and internal security of the country. Several Members participating in the debate asked the government to send the Bill to a Standing Committee for wider consultation. Members raised concerns that the Bill undermines the right to privacy and that the database (under the Bill) could be potentially misused. One Member also said that citizens would find it challenging to get their data removed from the database once they’ve been profiled.

Earlier in the day, during Question Hour, a Member raised concerns about foreign institutional investors withdrawing from the Indian equity market for six consecutive months. The Finance Minister responded that investments should be gauged not just by looking at FIIs and FPIs which depend on the interest rates that keep fluctuating. Instead, she urged the House to take note of inflow of FDIs which indicates investments into the economy, which she noted has remained unabated.

Rajya Sabha was repeatedly disrupted as two adjournment motions were not admitted, one being on price rise. Earlier in the day, six new Members took oath in the House following their elections last week.

Proceedings in Lok Sabha were ongoing at the time of updating this note.