NEW DELHI: The ongoing acrimony between the opposition and the treasury, witnessed throughout the monsoon session of Parliament, reached a flashpoint in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday when Union home minister Amit Shah introduced the three bills that provide a legal framework for removing the Prime Minister, Union ministers, chief ministers, and ministers in states and Union territories arrested and detained on serious criminal charges.
Shah said that the three legislations will be referred to a joint parliamentary committee for detailed scrutiny even as opposition MPs, essentially from Trinamool Congress and Congress, launched into aggressive protests and tore copies of the bills. They trooped into the well of the House, near Shah's front-row seat.
Bill is in violation of presumption of innocence, says oppn in Lok Sabha
Opposition MPs said the bills violated constitutional principles , undermined federalism, and inverted the principle of "innocent until proven guilty." They warned of potential misuse for political purposes and the risk of transforming India into a police state.
Pandemonium broke out as soon as home minister Amit Shah sought to move the three bills — the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, 2025; the Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill, 2025; and Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2025 — which propose that if the PM, ministers or CMs are arrested and detained for 30 days for offences carrying a jail term of at least five years, they will lose their positions on the 31st day.
Shah justified the legislations, “We cannot be so shameless (ham itne nirlajj nahi ho sakte) as to occupy constitutional positions while facing charges,” home minister said.
Initially, only Trinamool MPs, led by Kalyan Banerjee, stormed the well. After Congress netas K C Venugopal and Manish Tewari spoke, Venugopal tore a copy of the bill, and Congress MPs joined TMC in protest. Venugopal questioned Shah’s claim of upholding public morality, referring to Shah’s 2010 arrest as Gujarat’s home minister.
Shah countered, stating he had resigned on moral grounds before his arrest on “false” allegations and refrained from holding constitutional positions until cleared by courts. “I want to remind Congress that I had already resigned before being arrested, and even after being released on bail, I did not take any constitutional position until I was proven innocent by the court.” He added, “The court dismissed the false case against me, stating that it was motivated by political vendetta.”
Three opposition MPs — Asaduddin Owaisi (AIMIM), N K Premachandran (RSP) and Manish Tewari (Congress) — opposed the bill saying that it is in violation of presumption of innocence, which is the bedrock of administration and a marked assualt on the basic structure of the Constitution. Tewari called the bills “squarely destructive” to the Constitution’s basic structure, arguing they bypassed due process and made investigating officers the “boss of the Prime Minister”.
Owaisi accused the govt of enabling executive agencies to act as judge, jury, and executioner based on flimsy allegations, likening the proposed system to Nazi Germany’s Gestapo. Venugopal claimed the bills aimed to sabotage India’s federal structure.
Shah rejected Premachandran’s contention that the bills were brought in haste, saying they will be sent to a joint panel, where members of both Houses would get an opportunity to give their suggestions.
The constitutional amendment bill requires two-thirds support in both Houses — a majority that the governing alliance currently lacks.
One opposition MP twisted Shah’s mic, while others continued throwing bits of paper at him, prompting treasury MPs to rush into the well. MPs from both sides stood face-to-face, exchanging threats, and even after the House was adjourned, opposition MPs continued shouting slogans.
BJP MPs, including ministers Kiren Rijiju and Ravneet Bittu, moved to block opposition MPs from approaching Shah. The home minister, however, asked his colleagues to return to their seats. Congress MP Deepender Hooda also intervened, preventing opposition MPs from entering the aisle. Normalcy returned only after Shah and other ministers left the House as the opposition members jeered.
When House resumed an hour later, the bills were referred to JPC, but proceedings occurred under tight security, with marshals present. Shah, instead of taking his front row seat, sat in the third row as opposition MPs again occupied the well. Govt sources said that their focus was on getting the legislations passed.
Shah said that the three legislations will be referred to a joint parliamentary committee for detailed scrutiny even as opposition MPs, essentially from Trinamool Congress and Congress, launched into aggressive protests and tore copies of the bills. They trooped into the well of the House, near Shah's front-row seat.
Bill is in violation of presumption of innocence, says oppn in Lok Sabha
Opposition MPs said the bills violated constitutional principles , undermined federalism, and inverted the principle of "innocent until proven guilty." They warned of potential misuse for political purposes and the risk of transforming India into a police state.
Pandemonium broke out as soon as home minister Amit Shah sought to move the three bills — the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, 2025; the Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill, 2025; and Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2025 — which propose that if the PM, ministers or CMs are arrested and detained for 30 days for offences carrying a jail term of at least five years, they will lose their positions on the 31st day.
Shah justified the legislations, “We cannot be so shameless (ham itne nirlajj nahi ho sakte) as to occupy constitutional positions while facing charges,” home minister said.
Initially, only Trinamool MPs, led by Kalyan Banerjee, stormed the well. After Congress netas K C Venugopal and Manish Tewari spoke, Venugopal tore a copy of the bill, and Congress MPs joined TMC in protest. Venugopal questioned Shah’s claim of upholding public morality, referring to Shah’s 2010 arrest as Gujarat’s home minister.
Shah countered, stating he had resigned on moral grounds before his arrest on “false” allegations and refrained from holding constitutional positions until cleared by courts. “I want to remind Congress that I had already resigned before being arrested, and even after being released on bail, I did not take any constitutional position until I was proven innocent by the court.” He added, “The court dismissed the false case against me, stating that it was motivated by political vendetta.”
Three opposition MPs — Asaduddin Owaisi (AIMIM), N K Premachandran (RSP) and Manish Tewari (Congress) — opposed the bill saying that it is in violation of presumption of innocence, which is the bedrock of administration and a marked assualt on the basic structure of the Constitution. Tewari called the bills “squarely destructive” to the Constitution’s basic structure, arguing they bypassed due process and made investigating officers the “boss of the Prime Minister”.
Owaisi accused the govt of enabling executive agencies to act as judge, jury, and executioner based on flimsy allegations, likening the proposed system to Nazi Germany’s Gestapo. Venugopal claimed the bills aimed to sabotage India’s federal structure.
Shah rejected Premachandran’s contention that the bills were brought in haste, saying they will be sent to a joint panel, where members of both Houses would get an opportunity to give their suggestions.
The constitutional amendment bill requires two-thirds support in both Houses — a majority that the governing alliance currently lacks.
One opposition MP twisted Shah’s mic, while others continued throwing bits of paper at him, prompting treasury MPs to rush into the well. MPs from both sides stood face-to-face, exchanging threats, and even after the House was adjourned, opposition MPs continued shouting slogans.
BJP MPs, including ministers Kiren Rijiju and Ravneet Bittu, moved to block opposition MPs from approaching Shah. The home minister, however, asked his colleagues to return to their seats. Congress MP Deepender Hooda also intervened, preventing opposition MPs from entering the aisle. Normalcy returned only after Shah and other ministers left the House as the opposition members jeered.
When House resumed an hour later, the bills were referred to JPC, but proceedings occurred under tight security, with marshals present. Shah, instead of taking his front row seat, sat in the third row as opposition MPs again occupied the well. Govt sources said that their focus was on getting the legislations passed.
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