KTR Asks State Government For Stance On New Criminal Laws

BRS working president K T Rama Rao today released an open letter demanding that the State government and the ruling Congress publicly declare their positions on the new national criminal laws.

In his letter, KTR said that the draconian laws had elicited substantial opposition from diverse groups for encroaching upon the fundamental civil rights and personal freedoms. He said that critics feared that these laws could potentially establish a police State within the nation.

KTR pointed out that the CMs of West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka had already opposed these laws, and said that the Telangana government needed to take a clear stance to uphold the State's historical reputation as a champion of civil rights. He insisted that the Telangana government clarify whether it would implement these new criminal laws as is, or introduce amendments following the examples set by other States.

KTR demanded immediate action from Revanth Reddy's Congress government, asking it to send a letter to the union government demanding amendments to the autocratic sections of these new laws. The Congress at the national level had already expressed its opposition to these dangerous laws, but the local Congress government and party had not yet spoken a word on this issue, he said. He added that for the past seven months the State government had been using the police extensively to suppress protests by students, youth and social media activists. Under these new laws, such actions could lead to an even more oppressive environment in Telangana, he said.

He called for a resolution in the upcoming Assembly session opposing the laws, and for the resolution to be sent to the union government. Failure to do so, KTR warned, would risk the State government being perceived as authoritarian and anti-people.

The new criminal laws Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA), which have replaced the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and Indian Evidence Act (IEA), have been in effect nationwide since July 1. Numerous provisions and sections of these laws are viewed as serious violations of basic civil rights and individual freedoms. Civil rights activists and legal experts argue that these laws disproportionately favour the police and the government, suppressing legitimate protests and agitations.

Several key issues highlighted by critics include: Peaceful protests against government actions being criminalized, extension of police custody from 15 days to 90 days; authority granted to the police to seize property without court permission; discretionary powers given to investigative agencies for prosecuting organized crimes; and ambiguous provisions in laws concerning cyber crimes, hacking and privacy.