KTR asks State govt. to make stand clear on new criminal laws

In an open letter, he highlighted that the new laws were draconian in nature and have elicited substantial opposition from diverse groups.

Working president of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) K.T. Rama Rao has asked the State government led by the Congress party to make its stand clear on the new criminal laws being implemented in the country.

In an open letter addressed to the State government on Monday, he highlighted that the new laws were draconian in nature and have elicited substantial opposition from diverse groups. They are being condemned for encroaching upon fundamental rights and personal freedom. He pointed out that critics were of the view that the laws could potentially establish a police state within the nation.

Stating that Chief Ministers of West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have opposed the laws already, he suggested the State government adopt a clear stance to uphold the State’s historical reputation as a champion of civil rights. He insisted that the government must clarify whether it would implement the new criminal laws as is or introduce amendments, following the examples set by other States.

Asking Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy to send a letter to the Centre, demanding amendments to the autocratic sections in the new laws, the BRS leader called for adopting a resolution in the upcoming Assembly session to be sent to the Centre. He cautioned the State government that its failure to do so would be perceived that it too was authoritarian and anti-people.

The new criminal laws being implemented from July 1 have several provisions and sections in violation of basic civil rights and individual freedom. Civil rights activists and legal experts were arguing that new laws disproportionately favour the police and the government, suppressing legitimate protests and agitations.

Several key issues highlighted by critics include peaceful protests against the government actions being criminalised, 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 investigating agencies for prosecuting organised crimes and ambiguous provisions concerning cybercrimes, hacking and privacy.

The reintroduction of the sedition law as “treason” is particularly concerning as it could be used to suppress the criticism of government policies, he pointed out and alleged that the State government has been using the police extensively to suppress protests by students, youth and social media activists for the last seven months. Under the new laws, such actions could lead to an even more oppressive environment in Telangana, he added.