New Delhi, April 1 (IANS) The Joint Committee of Parliament on the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirtieth Amendment) Bill, 2025 and two allied bills on Wednesday continued its stakeholder consultations by hearing representations from prominent legal and academic institutions.
The committee, chaired by BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi (Bhubaneswar), heard the views of representatives from the Centre for Law and Policy Research, Bengaluru, and OP Jindal Global University, Sonipat (Haryana).
The session focused on three significant pieces of legislation: the Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill, 2025; the Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2025; and the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, 2025.
Introduced in the Lok Sabha by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on August 20, 2025, the 130th Constitutional Amendment Bill seeks to amend Articles 75, 164, and 239AA of the Constitution.
Its core provision mandates the automatic removal of the Prime Minister, Chief Ministers, or any Minister (at the Centre, states, or Delhi) if they are arrested and detained for 30 consecutive days on charges punishable with imprisonment of five years or more.
If the Prime Minister or Chief Minister fails to advise the President or Governor for removal by the 31st day, the minister automatically ceases to hold office. The person can, however, be reappointed after release.
The two allied bills extend similar accountability measures to Puducherry (through amendment to the Government of Union Territories Act, 1963) and to Jammu & Kashmir (by amending the J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019).
The government has described the package as a major step towards cleansing politics, upholding constitutional morality, and preventing ministers from running governments while in custody.
The Joint Committee, comprising 31 members, was constituted in November 2025 to conduct detailed scrutiny amid intense political debate.
Several opposition parties had raised concerns that the bill could be misused against political rivals, undermine the presumption of innocence, and affect federal principles.
The panel has been consulting a wide range of stakeholders, including state governments, civil society organisations, and legal experts. Wednesday’s hearing was part of an ongoing series of consultations examining the constitutional, legal, and practical implications of the proposed amendments.
The committee is expected to submit its report to Parliament after considering all inputs.
The development comes as Parliament continues to deliberate on measures to address the long-standing issue of criminalisation in politics while balancing democratic rights and the rule of law.
–IANS
sktr/dan
