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Rajya Sabha Passes Jan Vishwas Bill to Decriminalize Minor Offences

The Rajya Sabha passed the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2026, following its passage in the Lok Sabha. Union Minister Piyush Goyal emphasized the bill is designed to foster trust-based governance and impose strict penalties for serious offences like spurious drugs. The legislation seeks to amend 784 provisions across 79 Central Acts, decriminalizing 717 of them to promote ease of business and living. It replaces imprisonment for minor defaults with monetary penalties and establishes adjudicating officers for faster case resolution.

Key Points: Jan Vishwas Bill Passed: Trust-Based Governance & Ease of Business

  • Decriminalizes 717 provisions
  • Amends 784 sections across 79 Acts
  • Shifts minor offences to civil penalties
  • Aims to reduce court litigation
2 min read

Rajya Sabha passes Jan Vishwas Amendment Bill, Piyush Goyal emphasises trust-based governance

Rajya Sabha passes Jan Vishwas Bill to decriminalize 717 provisions, reduce compliance burden, and shift to civil penalties for minor offences.

"There will be fear in those who break the law knowingly. - Piyush Goyal"

New Delhi, April 3

The Jan Vishwas Bill, 2026, was passed by the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, after it was passed in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal emphasised that the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2026, is designed to foster trust-based governance. Speaking in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, he said, "There will be fear in those who break the law knowingly."

The Minister highlighted that with this reform, they have attempted to "provide protection through adequate civil mechanisms" and " tried to bring swift and proportionate penalties."

Clarifying that the Bill does not dilute essential regulations like the Drugs and Cosmetics Actm Goyal assured the House that "very strict and severe criminal punishment" is imposed for those who manufacture, import, or sell spurious drugs without approval from the drug controller.

The legislation aims to promote a governance model based on trust and proportionate regulation, while reducing compliance burden and decriminalising minor offences to facilitate smoother business operations and improve citizens' quality of life.

The Bill seeks to amend 784 provisions of 79 Central Acts administered by 23 Ministries, decriminalise 717 provisions to promote Ease of Doing Business and amend 67 provisions to facilitate Ease of Living.

The Bill seeks to rationalise more than 1000 offences, remove outdated and redundant provisions and improve the overall regulatory environment. It envisages a shift from criminal penalties for minor, technical, or procedural defaults to civil and administrative enforcement mechanisms.

Key measures include replacing imprisonment provisions with monetary penalties or warnings, graded enforcement mechanisms, including warnings for first-time contraventions and rationalisation of fines and penalties in proportion to the nature of the offence.

To ensure efficient and time-bound enforcement, the Bill provides for the appointment of Adjudicating Officers and the establishment of Appellate Authorities.

Officials said that the measures aim to facilitate the speedy disposal of cases and reduce litigation burden on courts, while ensuring adherence to principles of natural justice.

The Bill also proposes 67 amendments under the New Delhi Municipal Council Act, 1994 and the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
Reducing compliance burden is good, but I hope the "adequate civil mechanisms" are strong enough. The line between a minor offence and a serious one can be blurry. We must ensure this doesn't become a loophole for the powerful to get away with things that genuinely harm the public.
R
Rohit P
Finally! My father runs a small manufacturing unit, and the amount of time and money spent just on navigating archaic laws and fearing inspector raj is insane. Decriminalising 717 provisions is a massive relief for MSMEs. Ease of Doing Business should translate to Ease of Living for common people. 🙏
S
Sarah B
The focus on keeping strict punishment for spurious drugs is crucial. Public health cannot be compromised. If this bill can cut red tape for honest businesses while coming down hard on those who endanger lives, it will be a significant achievement. The devil will be in the details of implementation.
V
Vikram M
Amending 784 provisions across 79 Acts is a herculean task. Shows the government is serious about regulatory cleanup. The shift from criminal to civil penalties for technical defaults makes sense. It should reduce corruption at lower levels where officials exploit fear of jail time for minor issues.
K
Kavya N
While the intent is good, I have a respectful criticism. We have a history of good laws being diluted by poor enforcement. Appointing Adjudicating Officers is fine, but who will adjudicate the adjudicators? We need strong oversight to ensure this trust-based system isn't abused. Transparency is key.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

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