Hyderabad: Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president and former IT minister KT Rama Rao (KTR) has called on the Congress-run Telangana government to clarify its stance on the new national criminal laws that have replaced the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), and Indian Evidence Act (IEA).
In an open letter, KTR urged the Congress, which came to power promising democratic governance, to fulfill its promise by opposing these “dangerous laws” at the state level and taking necessary actions to protect civil rights. He demanded that the Telangana government publicly declare its position on the implementation of the new criminal laws.
The new laws, which have replaced the IPC, CrPC, and IEA with the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA), have been in effect nationwide since July 1.
Activists and others argue that these laws favor the police and the government, potentially suppressing legitimate protests and agitations. KTR noted that the Chief Ministers of West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka have already opposed these laws and urged the Telangana government to take a clear stance.
“The Telangana government must clarify whether it will implement these new criminal laws as is or introduce amendments, following the examples set by other states,” a letter from KTR’s office stated. KTR’s letter highlighted concerns that the new laws criminalize peaceful protests against government actions, extend police custody from 15 days to 90 days, allow police to seize property without court permission, and grant discretionary powers to investigative agencies for prosecuting organized crimes.
KTR also pointed out that while the Congress at the national level has expressed opposition to these laws, local Congress governments, such as in Telangana, have remained silent on the issue. He insisted that Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy publicly declare his stance, similar to other state Chief Ministers, and take immediate action to address sections of these new laws.
