Goemkarponn desk
PANAJIA roadside plastic vendor in Margao town has become the first individual in Goa to be booked under the freshly implemented Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, which came into force on Monday, a senior police official confirmed.
At 11:28 am, an FIR was registered against the vendor, Sangappa Bandrolli, under BNS laws for selling plastic on the road and causing traffic obstruction at Rawanfond locality of Margao town, a state police source disclosed.
The official stated that the 29-year-old was charged under BNS section 285, which penalizes causing obstruction or danger to the public. This FIR was the first instance of the new criminal law being enforced in Goa, following a complaint by Assistant Sub-Inspector Umesh Gawade.
Subsequently, an hour later, the second FIR under BNS in Goa was lodged at Panaji police station against a coconut vendor for the same offense.
Superintendent of Police (North) Akshat Kaushal told reporters that the coconut vendor, Nisar Bellari, was booked under BNS for inconveniencing the public and obstructing traffic in Panaji city.
The 53-year-old was reportedly selling tender coconuts near a market lane, causing public inconvenience, the officer noted.
Kaushal added that all police stations within his jurisdiction have been trained and transitioned to the new legislative framework.
It is noteworthy that three new criminal codes—the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam—passed by Parliament last year, have replaced the older criminal laws including the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), and the Indian Evidence Act.
