New Delhi: A parliamentary joint committee examining a proposed constitutional amendment on disqualifying top executives has recommended key changes, including limiting removal from office to a temporary measure.
The Union government had introduced the 130th Constitutional Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha in August 2025. The draft proposed that if the Prime Minister, Chief Ministers or ministers are kept in judicial custody for 30 consecutive days in a criminal case, their office would automatically be vacated on the 31st day.
Opposition parties had objected to the proposal, alleging it could be used to destabilise opposition-ruled state governments. Most opposition members also walked out of the joint committee formed to scrutinise the bill.
In its recommendations, the committee said leaders facing allegations should not be permanently removed until legal proceedings conclude, and that only a temporary suspension from office should apply. It also suggested defining “serious offences” as those carrying a possible prison term of five years or more, with a separate schedule of such offences added to the law.
The panel further proposed that temporary suspension should automatically lapse and the leader be restored to office if acquitted by a court or if the trial does not take place within a specified period. It also called for fast-track or special courts, in line with Supreme Court guidelines, to speed up cases involving high constitutional offices. If the Centre accepts these suggestions, the bill is expected to be amended and reintroduced in the Lok Sabha.
