New criminal bills threat to civil liberty, rights of people: Owaisi

New Delhi: Hyderabad MP and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday alleged that the new criminal bills are a threat to the civil liberty and rights of the people as they give sweeping powers to the police to take action against anyone.

Participating in a debate on the three proposed criminal laws in the Lok Sabha, Owaisi said the legislations are against the common people of the country as their rights will be snatched away once they become laws.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah introduced the three redrafted bills, the Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita (BNS), the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita (BNSS) and the Bharatiya Sakshya (Second) Bill (BSB) last week and the Lok Sabha on Tuesday took them up for a debate for their consideration and passage.

The proposed legislations seek to replace the Indian Penal Code (IPC), 1860, the Code of Criminal Procedure Act, 1898, and the Indian Evidence Act, 1872, respectively.

Owaisi, the president of the AIMIM, said several provisions have been incorporated in the BNS which were "very dangerous".

"The provisions of the bills are a threat to the civil liberty and rights," he said, adding sweeping powers have been given to police to act as "judge, jury and executor".

He claimed that the offence of sedition has been introduced in a different avatar in the proposed bills and the punishment has also been enhanced from three years to seven years.

Owaisi also demanded that the offence of rape should be made gender-neutral.

He alleged that the proposed laws will be a threat to the country's Muslims, Dalits and Adivasis and claimed that 30 per cent of prisoners across the country and 33 per cent of prisoners in Uttar Pradesh alone belong to the Muslim community.

Participating in the debate, BJP member Nishikant Dubey complimented Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for taking the initiative to amend the country's criminal laws after 163 years and said the legislations will have an effect on all 130 crore people of the country.

"This bill will free the nation from police raj," he said.

Dubey alleged that the Congress and its allies tried their best to stall the bills coming to Parliament.

He alleged that the opposition is now trying to divide the nation in the name of North and South besides Hindi and non-Hindi speaking people.

"Their opposition to the bills is wrong," he said.

Dubey also slammed the opposition parties for their stand that capital punishment should be abolished, saying the laws are made to scare people so that they do not indulge in any crime.

"The three bills have been brought keeping in mind the Indian ethos and Indianness," he said.