130th Constitutional Amendment Bill

Context :

The Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill, 2025, the Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, 2025, and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2025 have been referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC).

Objective :

According to the Central Government, the objective of this legislation is to elevate the declining standards of morality in public life and to bring integrity to politics.

Salient Provisions of the Bill :

1. No person, while under arrest and in jail, can govern as Prime Minister, Chief Minister, or Minister of the Central or State Government.
2. This bill includes a provision that allows an accused politician to seek bail from the court within 30 days of arrest.
3. If politician fail to secure bail within 30 days, on the 31st day, either the Prime Minister at the Center or the Chief Ministers in the states will remove them from their positions; otherwise, they will automatically become legally disqualified from performing their duties.
4. If such a leader is granted bail after the legal process, they may resume their position.

Significance :

• This measure is anticipated to enhance integrity in politics and public life.
• It is expected to curb the criminalization of politics.
• It will increase the accountability of individuals holding high constitutional offices.

Challenges :

• States ruled by opposition parties fear that this law could be misused.
• Disqualifying a person before they are proven guilty goes against the principle of natural justice.
• There have been many cases where people who were in jail for more than 30 days were later found to be innocent.