Three key amendment bills were tabled in Parliament by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, leading to significant opposition. The primary focus is the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirtieth Amendment) Bill, 2025, which outlines provisions for the removal of high-ranking officials, including the Prime Minister, Union Ministers, Chief Ministers, and Ministers of State/Union Territories. This bill stipulates that if these officials are arrested and held in custody for 30 consecutive days due to offenses punishable by a minimum of five years imprisonment, they would be removed from their positions on the 31st day. Following the introduction, Amit Shah proposed that the bills be reviewed by the parliamentary standing committee.
The other bills address specific governance issues: the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, 2025, and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2025. These will be presented in the Lok Sabha on August 20th and 21st. The Government of Union Territories bill aims to amend the existing 1963 Act to establish a legal framework for removing Chief Ministers and ministers in the event of their arrest and detention on serious criminal charges. Similarly, the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2025, seeks to amend the 2019 Reorganisation Act to address the same issue within the framework of Jammu and Kashmir. The timing of these bills, just before the conclusion of the Monsoon Session, has intensified political discourse. Opposition voices, including Asaduddin Owaisi, have strongly opposed the bills’ introduction. The Congress party has also criticized the government’s move, seeing it as a strategy to deflect attention from alleged electoral malpractices and Rahul Gandhi’s political activities in Bihar. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra condemned the bill concerning the removal of the PM, CMs, and ministers facing serious charges, labeling it as draconian.