A Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) examining the Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill, 2025, is expected to adopt its report on July 17, with the panel likely to retain the provision for the removal of ministers who remain in custody for 30 consecutive days in serious criminal cases.
The bill is expected to be taken up during the Monsoon session of Parliament, likely to begin on July 20.
Introduced by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in August last year, the proposed legislation provides for the removal of the Prime Minister, Chief Ministers or other ministers if they are arrested and detained for 30 consecutive days for offences punishable with five years or more in prison.
According to sources, the committee is expected to recommend safeguards to prevent misuse of the law for political vendetta. It may also suggest restricting the provision to specific categories of serious offences instead of applying it broadly.
Members of the ruling coalition are learnt to have rejected the Opposition's contention that the proposal is undemocratic, anti-federal, and violates the principle of natural justice by penalising ministers before conviction. They argued that a person in custody for 30 days has sufficient opportunity to seek bail.
Most INDIA bloc parties, including the Congress, had boycotted the 31-member committee, chaired by BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi, saying the ruling alliance would override their concerns.
However, Opposition members who are part of the panel are expected to submit dissent notes. The committee includes AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi, NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule, and YSRCP Rajya Sabha MP Niranjan Reddy Sirgapore.
Under the proposed law, a minister could be removed by the President or Governor on the advice of the Prime Minister or Chief Minister, or automatically on the 31st consecutive day of detention.