New Delhi, June 22: In a significant development, over 100 former bureaucrats, part of the Constitutional Conduct Group (CCG), have raised serious concerns regarding three new criminal laws set to take effect from July 1, 2024. In an open letter to the President of India, Prime Minister, Union Home Minister, and other key political figures, they urged an urgent review, warning that the laws could fundamentally undermine India’s democratic framework.
The controversial laws – the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023 (BNS), the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023 (BNSS), and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2023 (BSA) – were passed by Parliament in 2023 and received presidential assent on December 25, 2023. Despite their profound impact on the legal and civil landscape, the CCG highlighted that these laws were approved without thorough debate or public scrutiny.
The ex-bureaucrats expressed their concerns in three broad areas. First, they warned that the laws would criminalize legitimate, non-violent dissent against the government, thereby stifling democratic practices. Secondly, they feared the laws would terrorize civilians and honest public servants by granting the government sweeping powers to arbitrarily arrest, detain, prosecute, and convict individuals, potentially branding them as terrorists or anti-nationals. Thirdly, they argued that these laws would normalize extraordinary powers typically reserved for states of emergency, thus eroding constitutional rights and civil liberties.
In their letter, the CCG emphasized the need to defer the implementation of these laws and called for an all-party meeting to address public concerns and develop a national consensus. They stressed that these laws, second only to the Constitution in their significance, pose a severe risk of political abuse, especially in the current polarized political climate.
The CCG’s appeal is a crucial call to action to preserve the democratic ethos and ensure that new legislation does not compromise India’s constitutional rights. The signatories, comprising distinguished former civil servants from various capacities, underscored their non-partisan stance and commitment to the ideals enshrined in the Constitution of India.
The ex-bureaucrats’ appeal concludes with a call for urgent steps to prevent the erosion of democracy and protect civil liberties in India.
