Cabinet Said to Have Approved Amendments to Jan Vishwas Bill to Decriminalise Minor Offences

Sources said the Federal Cabinet is believed to have approved on Wednesday amendments to the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill 2023, which seeks to decriminalize minor offenses by amending 183 clauses in 42 laws with the aim of enhancing the ease of doing business.

It proposes amending 183 articles across 42 laws administered by 19 ministries. They said that the bill was put up for discussion in today’s cabinet meeting.

The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill was introduced by Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal in the Lok Sabha on December 22 last year. Subsequently, the bill was referred to a parliamentary joint committee.

The committee held detailed discussions with all 19 ministries or departments along with the Legislative Department and the Department of Legal Affairs. It adopted its report in March this year, which was presented to the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha in that month.

The Parliamentary Committee suggested that the Center encourage states and union territories to undertake the practice of decriminalizing minor offenses along the lines of the Jan Vishwas Act, with the aim of enhancing the ease of doing business and living.

He stated that the government should amend the provisions retroactively as it will help reduce the backlog of court cases.

The committee also recommended that, whenever possible, the lifting of imprisonment could be accompanied by the imposition of a penalty instead of a fine in order to avoid increased litigation.

Besides seeking to decriminalize minor infractions, the bill also envisages justifying financial penalties, depending on the severity of the crime, and promoting trust-based governance.

Laws being amended include the Medicines and Cosmetics Act of 1940; Public Debt Act, 1944; Pharmacy Act, 1948; Cinematography Act, 1952; Copyright Act, 1957; the Patents Act 1970; Environment (Protection) Act, 1986; and the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.

Other laws include the Trademarks Act, 1999; The Railways Act, 1989; Information Technology Act, 2000; Money Laundering Prevention Act 2002; Food Safety and Standards Act 2006; Legal Measures Act, 2009; and the Factoring Regulation Act, 2011.

These 42 laws are administered by various Union ministries, including Finance, Food Production and Distribution, Financial Services, Agriculture, Commerce, Environment, Road Transport and Highways, Post, Electronics, and Information Technology.

(This story was not edited by the News18 staff and was published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)