Jan Vishwas Amendment Bill, 2025 Tabled In Lok Sabha; Aims To Decriminalise Minor Offences

The Union government on Monday introduced the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2025 in the Lok Sabha, marking a step towards simplifying India's regulatory framework and enhancing ease of doing business.

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal introduced the Bill, which proposes amendments to over 300 provisions across multiple laws, aiming to decriminalise minor offences and foster more trust-based governance mode.

The 2025 Bill expands reform agenda to cover 16 Central Acts administered by 10 Ministries/Departments. A total of 355 provisions are proposed to be amended — 288 provisions decriminalised to foster ease of doing business, and 67 provisions under New Delhi Municipal Council Act, 1994 (NDMC Act) and Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 for ease of living.

Building on the foundation laid by the Jan Vishwas Act of 2023, which has decriminalised 183 provisions across 42 central Acts, the new Bill, dubbed Jan Vishwas 2.0, seeks to further reduce the compliance burden for individuals, startups, and businesses.

A key feature of the legislation is the introduction of improvement notices for first-time violations, replacing immediate penalties with an opportunity to rectify non-compliance. Penalties will only be imposed from the second offence onwards, maintaining deterrence while encouraging voluntary compliance.

Following its introduction, the Bill was referred to a select committee of the Lok Sabha for detailed scrutiny. The committee is expected to submit its report by the first day of the next parliamentary session. The move is part of the government's broader initiative to modernise India's legal landscape by eliminating outdated penal provisions and streamlining regulations.

Key features of the Bill:

• First-time contraventions: Advisory or warning for 76 offences under 10 Acts.

• Decriminalisation: Imprisonment clauses for minor, technical or procedural defaults replaced with monetary penalties or warnings.

• Rationalisation of penalties: Penalties made proportionate, with graduated penalties for repeated offences.

• Adjudication mechanisms: Designated officers empowered to impose penalties through administrative processes, reducing judicial burden.

• Revision of fines and penalties: Automatic 10% increase every three years to maintain deterrence without legislative amendments.

Four Acts, which are the Tea Act, 1953, Legal Metrology Act, 2009, Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, and Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, were part of Jan Vishwas Act, 2023 and are proposed for further decriminalisation under the current Bill.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his Independence Day address, emphasised the need to abolish archaic laws that impose harsh penalties for trivial infractions, reaffirming the administration's commitment to citizen centric reforms.