CURRENT AFFAIRS | 2 APRIL 2026
CLAT GK + CRIMINAL LAW REFORM & CONSTITUTIONAL LAW
– Article 21 — Right to personal liberty and decriminalization
– Criminal vs civil liability distinction
– IPC to BNS transition and criminal law reform
– Colonial legacy in Indian law and ease of doing business
What Happened: Lok Sabha Passes Jan Vishwas Bill 2026
On 1 April 2026, the Lok Sabha passed the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2026 by voice vote. The Bill, introduced by Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasada, represents the largest decriminalization exercise in independent India’s history.
The legislation proposes to amend 784 provisions across 79 Central Acts administered by 23 ministries. It seeks to decriminalize 717 provisions and amend 67 additional provisions to facilitate ease of living and ease of doing business.
Background: From Colonial Punishments to Civil Penalties
India inherited a vast body of laws from the British colonial period that treated even minor procedural defaults as criminal offences. These laws subjected citizens and businesses to arrest, imprisonment, and permanent criminal records for technical violations like delayed filings or missed compliance deadlines.
The reform journey started with the Jan Vishwas Act, 2023, which decriminalized 183 provisions across 42 Central Acts. The current Bill expands this dramatically based on the recommendations of a Select Committee of Lok Sabha chaired by Tejasvi Surya, which held 49 sittings and recommended extending decriminalization to 62 additional Acts.
1. Article 21 — Personal Liberty: Criminalizing minor procedural defaults disproportionately restricts the right to personal liberty guaranteed under Art 21. The shift to civil penalties aligns with proportionate punishment principles.
2. Article 19(1)(g) — Right to Trade: Excessive criminalization creates barriers to doing business. The reform removes these barriers, aligning with the fundamental right to practise any profession or carry on trade.
3. Criminal vs Civil Liability: Criminal liability requires mens rea (guilty intent) and can result in imprisonment. Civil liability focuses on compensation and penalties without requiring proof of criminal intent.
4. IPC to BNS Transition: This Bill is part of the broader criminal law modernization, alongside the replacement of the Indian Penal Code by the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023.
Key Features of the Bill
- 717 provisions decriminalized — Criminal penalties replaced with civil fines and administrative penalties
- Administrative adjudication — Minor cases shifted from criminal courts to administrative officers for faster resolution
- End of Inspector Raj — Reduces the power of government inspectors to harass businesses for minor lapses
- No permanent criminal record — Citizens will not face criminal records for small compliance errors
- Proportionate penalties — Fines scaled to the severity of the violation instead of blanket imprisonment threats
– Art 21 Jurisprudence: The right to personal liberty includes protection from disproportionate punishment. Criminalizing minor defaults violates the proportionality test under Art 21
– Colonial Law Legacy: CLAT frequently tests understanding of how Indian law evolved from colonial statutes. This Bill directly addresses outdated colonial-era provisions
– Criminal vs Civil Distinction: A fundamental concept in legal reasoning — criminal law requires mens rea and proof beyond reasonable doubt; civil law uses preponderance of probability
– Judicial Burden: Over 5 crore cases are pending in Indian courts. Shifting minor offences to administrative tribunals is a concrete reform to reduce backlog
Parliamentary Process and Deliberation
The Select Committee’s 49 sittings represent one of the most thorough legislative reviews in recent parliamentary history. The earlier Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2025, introduced on 18 August 2025, was withdrawn on 17 March 2026 and replaced by this more comprehensive version.
| Provisions Decriminalized | 717 |
| Central Acts Amended | 79 (across 23 ministries) |
| Total Provisions Amended | 784 |
| Select Committee Sittings | 49 |
| First Phase (2023) | 183 provisions in 42 Acts |
| Key Constitutional Articles | Art 21, Art 19(1)(g) |
D — Decriminalize 717 provisions
E — Ease of doing business and living
C — Civil penalties replace criminal ones
R — Remove colonial-era punishments
I — Inspector Raj dismantled
M — Minor offences to administrative adjudication
Source: PRS India, DD News, Business Standard — 1 April 2026
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