The committee, formed under the state Home Department, will be headed by Justice (retired) Ashim Kumar Roy and includes state Law Minister Malay Ghatak and Finance Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya.

The panel will submit its report within three months from the date of notification, an official said.

“The committee shall have the power to engage academic experts, senior advocates, research assistants and other legal experts for seeking their views on the subject matter. It shall also have the power to carry out public consultation,” the Home Department release said.

Chief Minister Banerjee had on June 21 written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to defer the implementation of the new criminal laws. She had also sought further discussion in Parliament on the new laws.

“No one knows what is in that law, Bharatiya Nyay Samhita.  The government has not even discussed it with the Opposition. These three criminal laws have been introduced by suspending 147 MPs,” the CM recently said.

Meanwhile, reacting to the news, Governor CV Ananda Bose has asked the CM to furnish a report on the objectives of the committee.

“West Bengal cannot be a state within a state or turned into a banana republic,” he said.

“The Governor has called upon Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to furnish an immediate report on the objectives of the committee for review of the amended CRPC, IPC and Evidence Act. The Governor wants a specific report on whether the West Bengal Government has responded to the proposal on time when asked for by the Govt of India,” a Raj Bhavan communique said.

— With PTI