New Delhi, August 20 (HS): In a dramatic session of Parliament, the Union Government introduced three landmark bills aimed at ensuring that Prime Ministers, Chief Ministers and Ministers facing serious criminal charges are removed from office if they remain in custody for more than 30 days.

The bills, presented in the Lok Sabha by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, met with strong protests from the Opposition, triggering uproar and even paper-hurling towards the Treasury benches. The ruckus forced a one-hour adjournment before proceedings resumed.

Key Provisions

The proposed laws stipulate that if any top executive office-holder — the Prime Minister, a state’s Chief Minister, or a Union/State Minister — is jailed in a serious corruption or criminal case for 30 days, he or she will be automatically removed from office. However, they may reclaim the position upon acquittal or release.

To this end, Shah introduced the following bills:

-Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill, 2025

-Union Territories Government (Amendment) Bill, 2025

-Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2025

While the first seeks to insert the rule into the Constitution, the latter two extend the provisions to Union Territories and Jammu & Kashmir respectively.

Fierce Opposition

Leaders including Asaduddin Owaisi (AIMIM), Manish Tewari (Congress), N.K. Premachandran (RSP), Dharmendra Yadav (SP) and K.C. Venugopal (Congress) opposed the bills, arguing that they violated the basic structure of the Constitution, democratic principles and parliamentary sovereignty.

Despite disruptions, the bills were passed for introduction and subsequently referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), which will review the proposals in detail. The JPC will comprise 21 members from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha.

Amit Shah’s Defense

Defending the move, Amit Shah said the bills are about safeguarding ethics and accountability in public life. Citing a personal example, he recalled that during his tenure as a Gujarat minister he had resigned when jailed, refraining from holding any constitutional office until cleared of all charges.

“These laws are meant to ensure that ministers uphold the highest moral responsibility while in public office,” Shah asserted.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar