Live Updates from the Parliament Monsoon Session: Ashwini Vaishnaw Presents Online Gaming Bill; Kiren Rijiju Defends It Amidst Opposition Chaos
The Lok Sabha is set to discuss three significant bills today, August 20, which could reshape the rules for holding top political offices in India. These bills aim to establish a new legal framework that could potentially remove Prime Ministers, Chief Ministers, and ministers at the Central, state, and Union territory levels if they are arrested or detained for 30 consecutive days for offences carrying a minimum jail term of five years.
The three bills under consideration are:
- The Constitution (One Hundred and Thirtieth Amendment) Bill, 2025
- The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization (Amendment) Bill, 2025
- The Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, 2025
The Constitution Amendment bill seeks to modify Articles 75, 164, and 239AA of the Constitution. If passed, this bill would require the Prime Minister, Union ministers, and the Delhi government to resign by the 31st day following their arrest or detention, or they would be automatically removed. This is a shift from the existing system, which requires a conviction to trigger disqualification.
The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization (Amendment) Bill, 2025, if passed, would make amendments to Section 54 of the 2019 Reorganisation Act that downgraded the state into a Union Territory.
The Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, 2025, also covers ministers in the Union Council of Ministers, state councils, and Union Territories administrations, including Jammu and Kashmir, aligning the framework uniformly across these political offices.
These bills have been referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee for further examination. The Parliament monsoon session is currently underway, and the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025 will also be introduced by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw during this session.
The Online Gaming Bill aims to prohibit the offering, operation, etc. of online money games across state borders or from foreign jurisdictions. However, it is not directly related to the three bills under discussion.
The introduction of these bills has been met with significant opposition protests, with critics accusing the government of undermining democracy and curbing dissent by introducing these measures in a contentious and rushed manner. The government, on the other hand, has argued that these reforms aim to promote accountability and uphold integrity in political offices, especially regarding serious criminal charges.
If passed, these proposed laws would have a significant impact on the tenure and accountability of high-ranking political leaders in India. They could potentially lead to the removal of political leaders if they remain under serious criminal arrest for over a month, while allowing potential reappointment post-release.
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