The Lok Sabha witnessed the introduction of three crucial bills by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, generating significant controversy. The primary bill, the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirtieth Amendment) Bill, 2025, outlines specific conditions for the removal of high-ranking officials. It focuses on the removal of Prime Ministers, Union Ministers, Chief Ministers, and Ministers of State/Union Territories if they are arrested and detained for 30 consecutive days due to serious criminal charges carrying a minimum jail term of five years. Under the proposed law, these officials would lose their positions on the 31st day of detention. Amit Shah subsequently proposed that these bills be referred to a standing committee for review.
Complementing this, the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, 2025, and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2025, were also introduced. These bills are designed for presentation in the Lok Sabha on August 20 and 21. The Government of Union Territories bill seeks to amend the 1963 Act to provide a legal framework for the removal of Chief Ministers and ministers who are arrested and detained on serious criminal charges, an area currently lacking legal provisions. Likewise, the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2025, aims to amend the 2019 Reorganisation Act to address a similar situation within the context of Jammu and Kashmir. The introduction of these bills has caused quite a stir, especially given the timing just before the end of the Monsoon Session of Parliament. The introduction of these bills has drawn strong objections from the opposition. Asaduddin Owaisi voiced his opposition to the introduction of the bills, while the Congress party believes these bills are a distraction tactic intended to divert attention from issues like alleged vote theft and Rahul Gandhi’s Bihar rally. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra criticized the bill about removing the PM, CMs, and ministers, calling it draconian.
