Updated on Monday, March 02, 2009, 00:00 IST

New Delhi, March 02: The Supreme Court today indicated that amendments to the CrPC giving police the discretion to make arrest in offences punishable with seven years jail term was a beneficial move and asked the lawyers opposing it to understand the suffering of the citizens.

"We have carefully gone through the amendments to the CrPC (Criminal Procedure Code) and they (lawyers opposing it) should understand," a Bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justice P Sathasivan said.

The observations were made on a petition which has sought notification of the amendments as it has got the assent of the President.

Advocate D K Garg, appearing for petitioners against whom a case has been lodged for dowry harassment, said the law was made to minimise the sufferings of the citizens and it should be notified immediately.

However, the Bench said it was the same law which has met with resistence from a group of lawyers and now a lawyer has come with a petition for its implementation.

"Who is the sufferer?" the Bench said and Garg agreed with it that "the citizens are the worst sufferers".

The apex court expressed its constraints to pass a direction for notifying the amendments.

"This is a part of legislative process. We cannot entertain a writ of mandamus on the issue," the Bench said following which the advocate withdrew the petition.

Bureau Report