'Will Turn India Into Police State': Congress's Manish Tewari Flags Concern Over Proposed Criminal Laws

Manish Tewari said when the government introduced the Bills in the Lok Sabha, all the Opposition members voiced their dissent over the structure and content of the proposed legislation.

New Delhi: Congress leader Manish Tewari flagged concerns over the proposed criminal laws saying the new legislations are “extremely draconian” and would turn the country into a “police state”, news agency ANI reported.

During the monsoon session of the Parliament, the government had tabled three Bills that seek to overhaul the existing legal framework for the country’s criminal justice system.

The three Bills Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023, and Bharatiya Saksha Bill 2023 seek to replace Indian Penal Code (IPC), Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) and Indian Evidence Act (IEA) respectively.

The Congress MP said when the government introduced the Bills in the Lok Sabha, all the Opposition members voiced their dissent over the structure and content of the proposed legislation.

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“There is a lot of consternation and anxiety among the thinking sections of the legal fraternity that these three Bills completely undermine and subvert the fundamental freedom and civil liberties which are intrinsic to the very constitution of India, the rights that were given by the makers of the Indian Constitution,” ANI quoted Tewari as saying.

Cautioning against the possible misuse of the laws, he said, “The laws will put extremely draconian powers into the hands of people who are completely and absolutely ill-equipped to handle them.”

“You will end up creating an Orwellian state which will destroy and subvert not only democracy but the fundamental framework on which this country stands,” Tewari told ANI.

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The Congress MP further added that the Opposition parties have demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee to re-examine the proposed laws.

Meanwhile, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs suggested retaining IPC section 377 and provisions related to adultery in the proposed legislation.