Policies/Regulation | Harassment – Others

In what is being seen as a move to throttle criticism and muzzle opposition parties, the Telangana government has declared crimes falling under Sections 506 and 507 of the Indian Penal Code as cognisable offences that can be registered without the permission of a court. Section 506 deals with criminal intimidation of a person, while Section 507 deals with criminal intimidation by an anonymous communication (through social media or anonymous letters, mails etc). The punishment under both sections is imprisonment ranging from two to seven years with or without fine.

Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao gave his go-ahead to the move, according to a communication from the Chief Minister’s Office late on Thursday. Abusing a person or institution using harsh words and intimidation through anonymous methods will now be treated as cognisable and non-bailable offences, said a CMO spokesperson. “It has been left to the discretion of the state whether or not to take permission of the court before arresting and prosecuting a person under the said sections. So, after careful examination, the state government has decided to declare the sections as cognizable without having to take the permission of the courts,” the spokesman added.

While legal experts say the changed sections could be misused to harass people, the opposition was apprehensive that the state government had taken the decision to intimidate political rivals and stifle those who raise their voice against the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS).