Jammu: In a significant development ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on Friday deferred the adoption of its draft report on the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirtieth Amendment) Bill, 2025, saying further deliberations and wider consultations are required.
The committee, chaired by BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi, was scheduled to consider and adopt its draft report. However, members unanimously decided to postpone the decision after seeking more discussions on key recommendations.
“We are keeping the report pending as of now. The committee felt that the proposed legislation has far-reaching implications and requires wider consultation with stakeholders,” Sarangi told reporters after the meeting.
The committee is examining three Bills—the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirtieth Amendment) Bill, 2025, the Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2025, and the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, 2025.
The proposed constitutional amendment seeks to create a legal framework under which the Prime Minister, Chief Ministers and Union or State Ministers would cease to hold office if they remain under arrest or judicial custody for 30 days in cases involving serious criminal offences.
The proposed amendments to the Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation Act and the Government of Union Territories Act are intended to align the provisions relating to ministers in Union Territories, including Jammu and Kashmir, with the proposed constitutional framework.
According to sources, the committee discussed several recommendations, including replacing the term “removal” with “suspension”, clearly defining “serious criminal offences” as those punishable with imprisonment of five years or more, introducing an automatic reinstatement provision if a leader secures bail, and establishing fast-track courts for such cases.
Opposition parties have strongly opposed the proposed legislation, arguing that executive action should not trigger the suspension or removal of elected representatives and that any such decision should be based on judicial intervention.
Sources said opposition leaders Asaduddin Owaisi and Supriya Sule withdrew their dissent notes after the committee decided to defer the report for further discussions.
The Bills were introduced in the Lok Sabha by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in August last year. While introducing the legislation, Shah had said the objective was to improve standards of public morality and ensure that no individual continues to function as Prime Minister, Chief Minister or Minister while lodged in jail.
The proposed law provides a 30-day window for an arrested leader to obtain bail. If bail is not granted within that period, the individual would cease to function in office under the proposed framework. If bail is subsequently granted, the person would be eligible to resume office.
The decision to defer the report has reduced the possibility of the Bills being taken up immediately during the upcoming Monsoon Session, although discussions within the committee and with political parties are expected to continue.
