The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2025 (“Bill”) has been introduced in the Lok Sabha with a view to promote ease of doing business and ease of living for citizens by decriminalizing minor offences across various laws. The Bill proposes to amend various provisions across 16 Acts.
Key Highlights:
- Fines and penalties provided under various provisions in the enactments to be increased by ten per cent of the minimum amount of fine or penalty, after the expiry of every three years from the date of commencement of this Act
- Any enactment providing the manner of revision of fines and penalties will be applicable for increase of fines and penalties for provisions of such enactment
- Decriminalisation of offences across various laws by replacing them with monetary penalties and by introducing compounding of offences in some provisions
- Promote ease of living for citizens by rationalising processes by issuing warnings at the first instance of contraventions and imposing penalties for subsequent contravention
- Some of the Legislations which have been decriminalised are as follows:
- The Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934
- The Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940
- The Tea Act, 1953
- The Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957
- The Apprentices Act, 1961
- The Motor Vehicles Act, 1988
- The New Delhi Municipal Council Act, 1994
- The Electricity Act, 2003
- The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Act, 2006
- The Legal Metrology Act, 2009
Source: Ministry of Law and Justice
