Arunachal to enforce New Criminal Laws in English and Hindi

Itanagar: Due to the state's diverse linguistic landscape, Arunachal Pradesh will utilize English and Hindi versions of the three new national criminal laws, an official announced on Friday.

Officials and relevant personnel are undergoing training in both languages to prepare for the implementation. English serves as the official language of the northeastern state.

On July 1, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023 (Indian Code of Justice), Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita 2023 (Indian Civil Protection Code), and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2023 (Indian Evidence Act) will come into effect across India.

These new codes will supersede the Indian Penal Code (1860), the Indian Evidence Act (1872), and the Code of Criminal Procedure (1973).

"We'll be using the English and Hindi versions [of the new laws. Due to the vast number of dialects spoken in Arunachal Pradesh, translations into local languages are not being undertaken. We have 26 major tribes and over 100 sub-tribes," said the official.

The official added that for the past two months, all investigating officers across the state's 27 districts have been receiving training on the new laws in both English and Hindi.

The Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region's website estimates that 30-50 distinct languages and dialects are spoken in Arunachal Pradesh. Beyond these, there exist "innumerable dialects and sub-dialects."

Some prominent languages include Nyishi, Dafla, Miji, Adi, Gallong, Wancho, Tagin, Hill Miri, and others. The majority belong to the Tibeto-Burman language family.