Jan Vishwas Bill, 2025–26

Introduction

• The Jan Vishwas Bill (Amendment of Provisions), 2025–26 refers to a legislative reform effort aimed at decriminalising minor procedural and technical offences, rationalising penalties, and promoting trust-based governance for ease of doing business and ease of living.
• The expression “2025–26” is important because the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2025 was later replaced by the broader Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2026.

Background

• This reform builds on the earlier Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2023, which had already amended multiple central laws to reduce criminalisation of minor non-compliance.
• The 2025–26 version was presented as the next phase of that broader decriminalisation and compliance-rationalisation agenda.

Jan Vishwas Bill, 2025

• The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2025 was introduced in the Lok Sabha on 18 August 2025.
• It proposed amendments to 17 central laws.
• Its main objective was to:
  • decriminalise minor offences
  • convert several fines into civil penalties
  • empower adjudicating officers to levy penalties instead of relying on criminal prosecution for many procedural violations

Select Committee stage

• The 2025 Bill was referred to a Select Committee of the Lok Sabha.
• The Select Committee presented its report on 13 March 2026.
• The Committee examined proposed amendments across sectors such as:
  • motor vehicles
  • legal metrology
  • apprenticeships
  • municipal governance
  • export-related regulation

Jan Vishwas Bill, 2026

• The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2026 was introduced in the Lok Sabha on 27 March 2026.
• It was brought in place of the 2025 Bill and significantly expanded its scope.
• The 2026 Bill seeks to amend 79 Central Acts, according to PIB, while PRS describes it as amending 80 central Acts. For exam purposes, the safest way to present this is that the Bill amended around 79–80 central Acts, because official summaries differ slightly in count.

Scale of the 2026 Bill

• According to PIB, the 2026 Bill covers 784 provisions across 23 Ministries.
• Out of these:
  • 717 provisions were proposed for decriminalisation
  • 67 provisions were aimed at improving ease of living
• This made the 2026 Bill much broader than the 2025 version.

Core objective

• The main purpose of the Bill was to:
  • remove criminal penalties for minor procedural lapses
  • replace them with civil penalties or administrative mechanisms
  • make compliance more proportionate and less punitive
  • reduce fear of criminal prosecution for technical defaults
• The broader policy idea was to shift from a punitive compliance model to a trust-based governance model.

Main features

• The major features of the Jan Vishwas reform package include:
  • decriminalisation of minor offences
  • rationalisation of punishment and penalties
  • replacement of criminal fines with civil penalties
  • creation or use of adjudicating officers
  • reduction of imprisonment for technical and procedural non-compliance
  • compliance simplification to improve business and citizen-facing governance

Ease of doing business

• One major justification for the Bill is ease of doing business.
• The logic is that businesses, especially smaller firms, should not face criminal prosecution for:
  • minor filing defects
  • procedural delays
  • technical non-compliance without fraudulent intent

Ease of living

• The 2026 Bill also explicitly includes ease of living reforms, not just business reforms.
• PIB notes that these include changes under laws such as:
  • the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988
  • the New Delhi Municipal Council Act, 1994

Sectors covered

• The Bill spans a wide range of laws administered by different ministries.
• Official summaries indicate coverage across sectors such as:
  • commerce and industry
  • transport
  • municipal regulation
  • commodities and standards
  • apprenticeships
  • public administration and local compliance frameworks

Nature of decriminalisation

• The Bill does not mean removal of all penalties.
• Instead, it largely changes the mode of enforcement:
  • from criminal prosecution
  • to civil penalties, administrative adjudication, and graded enforcement
• So the reform is better understood as decriminalisation of minor offences, not complete deregulation.

Significance

• The Jan Vishwas Bill is important because it reflects a shift in Indian regulatory policy toward:
  • proportionate compliance
  • administrative efficiency
  • trust-based governance
  • reduced criminalisation of technical defaults
• It is significant in the context of:
  • governance reform
  • legal decriminalisation
  • economic policy
  • regulatory simplification

Status

• The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2026 was passed by both Houses of Parliament in early April 2026.
• PRS also lists the 2026 Bill as “Passed.”

Difference between the 2025 and 2026 Bills

• The key differences are:
  • the 2025 Bill covered 17 laws
  • the 2026 Bill replaced it and expanded the reform to around 79–80 central Acts
  • the 2026 Bill covered 784 provisions, making it much wider in scope
• So if asked in current affairs, it is usually safer to discuss the 2026 Bill as the operative updated version.

Criticism and concerns

• A common policy concern with such reforms is that excessive decriminalisation may weaken deterrence in some sectors if not accompanied by strong civil enforcement.
• At the same time, supporters argue that criminal law should be reserved for serious wrongdoing, not routine procedural lapses. This tension is an inference from the Bill’s design and stated objectives of replacing criminal penalties with administrative enforcement.

Conclusion

• The Jan Vishwas Bill, 2025–26 represents a major attempt to decriminalise minor legal violations, rationalise penalties, and promote a trust-based regulatory regime.
• For current relevance, the most important point is that the 2025 Bill was superseded by the broader Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2026, which was subsequently passed by Parliament.