Ensure stay on new 'anti-democratic' criminal laws: Petition to Chandrababu Naidu, Nitish Kumar, others

Counterview Desk

Close to 3,700 signatories, including Tushar Gandhi, Tanika Sarkar, Henri Tiphagne, Major Gen (retd) Sudhir Vombatkere, Teesta Setalvad, Kavita Srivastava, Shabnam Hashmi and others have sought the urgent intervention of Chief Minister Andhra Pradesh, Chandrababu Naidu asking him to ensure a stay on the implementation of the new criminal laws.

Also sent to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, and the INDI Alliance partners, in their petition they said, the three new criminal laws, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023, "were hurriedly pushed through Parliament on 20th December 2023 without a debate."

In fact, the petition asserts, the proposed new laws, to come into effect on July 1, "would enable the government to dramatically scale up arrest, detention, prosecution and imprisonment of law abiding democratic opponents, dissidents and activists" and "transform India into a fascist state".

Text:

Hearty congratulations to you on being sworn in as the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh.

We, the undersigned, are also glad to note that the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) is destined to play a major role in national politics.

Under the circumstances, we are hopeful that the TDP will use the opportunity to firmly uphold the basic principles enshrined in the Constitution of India and will do everything in its power to defend democratic rights that are guaranteed in the Constitution.

Sadly, as the situation stands now, there is a grave threat that is hanging over the nation in the form of three new criminal laws, namely, 'Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023', 'Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023', and 'Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023', which were hurriedly pushed through Parliament on 20th December 2023 without a debate.

These laws are scheduled to come into effect from 01st July 2024 and Sir you need to act immediately.

Our major concern is that the amendments made in the then existing laws are such that they are mostly draconian in nature. They deal exclusively with matters of life and liberty and criminal harm that can be caused to an individual in other multiple and various ways. They also (adversely affect) deal with civil liberties of citizens more particularly in the matter of freedom of speech, right to assembly, right to associate, right to demonstrate, and their other civil rights, which can be criminalized as part of the law and order provisions of these three laws.

Essentially, these new criminal laws would equip the government with adequate power to hollow out our democracy and transform India into a fascist state – should the government choose to deploy the new laws to their fullest extent.

The proposed new laws would enable the government to dramatically scale up arrest, detention, prosecution and imprisonment of law abiding democratic opponents, dissidents and activists.

We earnestly urge you meet a team of legal expects from our side, who could brief you on the implications of the new criminal laws

Some of the chilling features of the new Criminal Code as requiring special attention are:

(1) the criminalisation of legitimate, lawful, non-violent democratic speech or action as ‘terrorism’;

(2) the broadening of the offence of sedition in a new and more vicious avatar (what could be called “sedition-plus”);

(3) the expansion of the potential for “selective prosecution” — targeted, politically-biased prosecution of ideological and political opponents;

(4) the criminalisation of a common mode of political protest against government through fasting;

(5) encouraging the use of force against any assembly of persons;

(6) exponentially enhancing ‘police raj’ by criminalising “resisting, refusing, ignoring or disregarding to conform to any direction given by [a police officer]”;

(7) enhancing handcuffing;

(8) maximising police custody during investigation;

(9) making the recording of a FIR discretionary for the police;

(10) dialling up the pain of imprisonment;

(11) compelling all persons (even those not accused of any crime) to provide their biometrics to the government; and

(12) shielding of some of the Sangh parivar’s activities.

It is this impending threat to the democratic structure of this nation that has compelled us to seek your immediate intervention to stay the implementation of these questionable laws until their implications are throughly reexamined by a team of legal experts and debated on the floor of the Indian Parliament.

Since there are still seventeen days left before the said criminal laws go into effect, we earnestly urge you meet a team of legal expects from our side, who could brief you on the implications of the new criminal laws, which would enable your party to take appropriate decision to prevent an impending blow to civil liberties.

We do hope you would respond positively to this appeal and take the requisite steps to stay the implementation of the said criminal laws.

Sir, once endorsed, we hope to send this letter petition to all Opposition leaders.

Comments

From plagiarism to proxy exams: Galgotias and systemic failure in education

By Sandeep Pandey* Shock is being expressed at Galgotias University being found presenting a Chinese-made robotic dog and a South Korean-made soccer-playing drone as its own creations at the recently held India AI Impact Summit 2026, a global event in New Delhi. Earlier, a UGC-listed journal had published a paper from the university titled “Corona Virus Killed by Sound Vibrations Produced by Thali or Ghanti: A Potential Hypothesis,” which became the subject of widespread ridicule. Following the robotic dog controversy coming to light, the university has withdrawn the paper. These incidents are symptoms of deeper problems afflicting the Indian education system in general. Galgotias merely bit off more than it could chew.

Covishield controversy: How India ignored a warning voice during the pandemic

Dr Amitav Banerjee, MD * It is a matter of pride for us that a person of Indian origin, presently Director of National Institute of Health, USA, is poised to take over one of the most powerful roles in public health. Professor Jay Bhattacharya, an Indian origin physician and a health economist, from Stanford University, USA, will be assuming the appointment of acting head of the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), USA. Bhattacharya would be leading two apex institutions in the field of public health which not only shape American health policies but act as bellwether globally.

The 'glass cliff' at Galgotias: How a university’s AI crisis became a gendered blame game

By Mohd. Ziyaullah Khan* “She was not aware of the technical origins of the product and in her enthusiasm of being on camera, gave factually incorrect information.” These were the words used in the official press release by Galgotias University following the controversy at the AI Impact Summit in Delhi. The statement came across as defensive, petty, and deeply insensitive.

Growth without justice: The politics of wealth and the economics of hunger

By Vikas Meshram* In modern history, few periods have displayed such a grotesque and contradictory picture of wealth as the present. On one side, a handful of individuals accumulate in a single year more wealth than the annual income of entire nations. On the other, nearly every fourth person in the world goes to bed hungry or half-fed.

Thali, COVID and academic credibility: All about the 2020 'pseudoscientific' Galgotias paper

By Jag Jivan The first page image of the paper "Corona Virus Killed by Sound Vibrations Produced by Thali or Ghanti: A Potential Hypothesis" published in the Journal of Molecular Pharmaceuticals and Regulatory Affairs , Vol. 2, Issue 2 (2020), has gone viral on social media in the wake of the controversy surrounding a Chinese robot presented by the Galgotias University as its original product at the just-concluded AI summit in Delhi . The resurfacing of the 2020 publication, authored by Dharmendra Kumar , Galgotias University, has reignited debate over academic standards and scientific credibility.

Conversion laws and national identity: A Jesuit response response to the Hindutva narrative

By Rajiv Shah A recent book, " Luminous Footprints: The Christian Impact on India ", authored by two Jesuit scholars, Dr. Lancy Lobo and Dr. Denzil Fernandes , seeks to counter the current dominant narrative on Indian Christians , which equates evangelisation with conversion, and education, health and the social services provided by Christians as meant to lure -- even force -- vulnerable sections into Christianity.

'Serious violation of international law': US pressure on Mexico to stop oil shipments to Cuba

By Vijay Prashad In January 2026, US President Donald Trump declared Cuba to be an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to US security—a designation that allows the United States government to use sweeping economic restrictions traditionally reserved for national security adversaries. The US blockade against Cuba began in the 1960s, right after the Cuban Revolution of 1959 but has tightened over the years. Without any mandate from the United Nations Security Council—which permits sanctions under strict conditions—the United States has operated an illegal, unilateral blockade that tries to force countries from around the world to stop doing basic commerce with Cuba. The new restrictions focus on oil. The United States government has threatened tariffs and sanctions on any country that sells or transports oil to Cuba.

Farewell to Saleem Samad: A life devoted to fearless journalism

By Nava Thakuria* Heartbreaking news arrived from Dhaka as the vibrant city lost one of its most active and committed citizens with the passing of journalist, author and progressive Bangladeshi national Saleem Samad. A gentleman who always had issues to discuss with anyone, anywhere and at any time, he passed away on 22 February 2026 while undergoing cancer treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. He was 74.

Development at what cost? The budget's blind spot for the environment

By Raj Kumar Sinha* The historical ills in the relationship between capital and the environment have now manifested in areas commonly referred to as the "environmental crisis." This includes global warming, the destruction of the ozone layer, the devastation of tropical forests, mass mortality of fish, species extinction, loss of biodiversity, poison seeping into the atmosphere and food, desertification, shrinking water supplies, lack of clean water, and radioactive pollution.

Search This Blog