This article aims to examine the contours of Section 223 of the BNSS, with a special focus on courts’ interpretation of the proviso to Section 223(1) of the BNSS and its practical implications.

Introduction

On December 25, 2023, India enacted a transformative triumvirate of laws – the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (“BNSS”), and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023. These new criminal laws became effective on July 1, 2024, repealing and replacing the long-standing pillars of criminal law – Indian Penal Code, 1860, the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (“CrPC”), and the Indian Evidence Act, 1872, respectively.Continue Reading Demystifying Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023

Final Word on Enforceability of Unstamped Arbitration Agreements

“It [law of arbitration] is to be expeditious where the law is slow, cheap where the law is costly, simple where the law is technical, a peacemaker instead of a stirrer-up of strife.”[1]

Are arbitration clauses in unstamped or inadequately stamped agreements enforceable? This is a question that has been under legal scrutiny and has seen conflicting views from various constitutional benches of the Supreme Court for over half a decade.Continue Reading Final Word on Enforceability of Unstamped Arbitration Agreements