Lok Sabha extends deadline for report on bills barring jailed leaders

The Lok Sabha extended the deadline for the Joint Committee's report on three constitutional amendments to the 2026 Monsoon Session. The bills seek to prevent jailed individuals from holding ministerial posts like PM or CM.

The Lok Sabha on Friday extended time for presenting the report of the Joint Committee on three crucial constitutional amendments, including The Constitution (One Hundred and Thirtieth Amendment) Bill, 2025, The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization (Amendment) Bill, 2025, and The Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, 2025, until the first day of the last week of the Monsoon Session, 2026. BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi, during a session, moved the motion for the extension.

What the proposed amendments entail

The proposed amendments aim to introduce new regulations, stating that no individual who is arrested and in jail can hold positions as Prime Minister, Chief Minister, or any minister in either the Union or State Government. Additionally, the bills stipulate that an accused politician must secure bail within 30 days of their arrest. Should they fail to do so, on the 31st day, the Prime Minister or Chief Minister will be required to remove them from office. In the absence of such an action, the individual will automatically cease to remain eligible for the office they hold.

Details of the Joint Parliamentary Committee

Earlier in November, the Parliament constituted a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to examine these three crucial constitutional amendments. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla appointed Member of Parliament Aparajita Sarangi as the Chairperson of the Committee.

The Committee comprises a total of 31 members drawn from both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, as per a bulletin by the Lok Sabha. From the Lok Sabha, the members include Ravi Shankar Prasad, Bhartruhari Mahtab, Pradan Baruah, Brijmohan Agrawal, Vishnu Dayal Ram, Supriya Sule, and Asaduddin Owaisi. Harsimrat Kaur Badal, and several others. From the Rajya Sabha, the nominated members include Brij Lal, Ujjwal Nikam, Nabam Rebia, Dr. K. Laxman, Sudha Murty, Birendra Prasad Baishya, and S. Niranjan Reddy.

It is noteworthy that members of the Congress, the Trinamool Congress (TMC), the Samajwadi Party (SP), and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) have not joined the Committee.

The Joint Committee undertake a detailed examination of all three Bills and submits its recommendations to the Parliament after comprehensive deliberations. (ANI)

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