Bills Torn in Parliament: Bills to Remove Arrested PMs, CMs, Ministers Sent to JPC Amid Opposition Outcry

New Delhi, August 20 – The Lok Sabha witnessed uproar on Wednesday as the BJP-led NDA government referred three contentious bills to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC). The bills propose disqualification of the Prime Minister, Chief Ministers, and ministers in states and Union Territories if they remain under arrest for over 30 days on charges carrying a minimum five-year sentence.

Opposition MPs objected strongly, arguing that the proposed laws undermine the principle of “innocent until proven guilty” and could be misused to destabilize governments. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi accused the Centre of “amending the Constitution to topple governments,” while Congress MP Manish Tewari warned that the move “distorts parliamentary democracy” and “throws constitutional safeguards to the winds.”

The three bills under scrutiny are the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirtieth Amendment) Bill, the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, 2025, and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2025.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah pitched the legislation as a strong anti-corruption step. He moved a resolution to refer the bills to a JPC comprising 21 members from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha, representing both ruling and opposition parties. The resolution was passed by a voice vote.

The committee has been tasked with presenting its report by the end of the first week of the next parliamentary session, expected in late November. While its recommendations are advisory and not binding, the panel can summon experts, civil society representatives, and stakeholders for consultations.

The controversy echoes recent political flashpoints where opposition leaders, including Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, spent weeks in jail on graft charges, claiming they were targeted by central agencies such as the CBI and ED.