New Delhi: A joint parliamentary committee examining a proposed constitutional amendment on removing the Prime Minister, Chief Ministers and ministers has postponed the move to adopt its draft report, amid differences over its recommendations.
The Union government had introduced the 130th Constitution Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha in August 2025. The proposal seeks to provide that if a Prime Minister, Chief Minister or minister is kept in judicial custody for 30 consecutive days in a criminal case, the office would be vacated automatically on the 31st day.
Following objections from opposition parties, the bill was referred to a joint committee chaired by BJP Lok Sabha MP Aparajita Sarangi. The panel suggested, among five recommendations, that leaders facing allegations should not be permanently removed and could instead be suspended temporarily until legal proceedings conclude. It also proposed defining “serious offences” as those carrying a possible prison term of five years or more.
At a meeting held on Thursday under Sarangi’s chairmanship, voting was conducted on the recommendations. After votes on two recommendations and discussion on the remaining ones, some ruling-party MPs also raised objections.
With members seeking further deliberations, the committee deferred adopting the draft report. As a result, the bill is said to be unlikely to be introduced in the monsoon session beginning day after tomorrow.
