Hyderabad: BRS working president KT Rama Rao on Monday asked the State government and Congress to clearly state their positions on the new criminal laws.
In his ‘open’ letter, Rao pointed out that these new laws, labeled as ‘draconian,’ have faced strong opposition from various groups. Critics argue that these laws infringe upon basic civil rights and personal freedoms.
Rao mentioned that the Chief Ministers of West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka have opposed these laws. He stressed that the Telangana government must take a clear stand to maintain its reputation as a defender of civil rights.
KTR called for immediate action from the government. He urged them to send a letter to the Centre asking for changes to the authoritarian parts of these laws. He also suggested passing a resolution in the upcoming Assembly session to be sent to the Centre. KTR warned that if the government fails to act, it could be seen as authoritarian and against the people.
He highlighted several key issues raised by critics. These include criminalizing peaceful protests against government actions and extending police custody from 15 days to 90 days. Other concerns are police being allowed to seize property without court permission and giving broad powers to investigative agencies for prosecuting organized crimes. There are also vague provisions in the laws related to cybercrimes, hacking, and privacy.
“The new laws have already led to confusion because cases must be tried under different laws depending on when they were filed,” he noted. “The re-introduction of the sedition law as ‘treason’ is particularly worrying, as it could be used to silence criticism of government policies. These new laws have the potential to create a Police State,” he remarked.
