Aimed at preventing “whimsical” arrests made by the police, the amendment, however, has not gone down well with the associations. With most Bar members saying that once the President’s assent is granted, the amendment would do away with the “deterrence effect of arrests” and might result in an increased crime rate, the proposal has instead led to a debate on the subject of “individual liberty against social interest” among the legal fraternity.

“All Bar Associations of Delhi strongly disapprove of the anti-public and anti-social amendments in the CrPC, whereby the deterrent provisions of law of making arrest mandatory has been done away with, while giving wide powers to police to arrest or not to arrest,” Rajiv Khosla, president, Delhi Bar Association, said. ‘It’s the duty of the government to enact laws that prevent crime. The proposed amendments, however, will give rise to more corruption in society, for crime figures in the recent past clearly indicate that offences punishable with up to seven years imprisonment constitute 85 per cent of the total offences committed,” Khosla said.