Enforcing traffic rules is undoubtedly the government’s responsibility.
Hyderabad: The BRS on Tuesday accused Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy for trying to mount yet another “unconstitutional and a direct assault on citizens’ fundamental rights” by seeking introduction of auto-debit from the bank accounts of those who have been issued challans to violators of traffic rules.
BRS MLC Dr Sravan Dasoju told a news conference that the proposal “is extremely alarming, unlawful, and contrary to the spirit of the Constitution. Enforcing traffic rules is undoubtedly the government’s responsibility. But the proposal is an absolutely unacceptable overreach of state power.”
A traffic challan is only an allegation, not a conviction and every citizen has the right to offer an explanation, or file an appeal, or approach a court of law, he said. “The auto-debit mechanism strips citizens of these rights and effectively imposes a punishment without trial,” Dr Sravan said.
The move proposed by Revanth Reddy, Dr Sravan said, was a clear infringement of Article 21 (right to life and personal liberty) and Article 300A (right to property). “Money from any citizen’s account cannot be debited without the account holder’s explicit consent or a judicial directive. No government has the authority to seize it without due process of law or a court order,” he said, adding that the BRS demands the immediate withdrawal of the proposal.
