New Delhi, 23 March (H.S.):

Lok Sabha on Monday forwarded the Corporate Laws (Amendment) Bill 2026 to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) following Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's strong push despite sharp pushback from opposition ranks. The Cabinet had greenlit the measure back on March 10 setting the stage for this days proceedings in the Budget Session.

Presenting the bill Sitharaman laid out its core aim: targeted amendments to the Limited Liability Partnership Act 2008 and the Companies Act 2013. She faced immediate flak though with Congress MP Manish Tewari rising under Rule 72(1) to slam the move as out of step with constitutional principles and riddled with flaws.

Trinamool Congress heavyweight Sougata Roy piled on charging that the legislation would gut Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) provisions while the government eyes either decriminalizing corporate offenses or ramping up regulatory teeth.

DMK member T Sumathi joined the chorus voicing her own objections to the bills tabling. Brushing aside the critics Sitharaman countered that the draft emerged from two years of deliberations with the Corporate Law Committee hearing all stakeholders. CSR stays intact she clarified – tweaks touch only the pure profit category among its three or four buckets.

Her pitch for a JPC referral won the day as the House approved it by voice vote sealing the bills next stop. The move caps a contentious introduction on this Shaheed Diwas in Parliament where heated exchanges underscored the NDAs tight grip amid Budget Session 2026 battles.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar