The Indian government has introduced the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2026, in the Lok Sabha to decriminalise and rationalise minor offences, aiming to promote ease of doing business and living.
NITI Aayog Member Rajiv Gauba has detailed an extensive deregulation agenda, moving India towards a 'permitted unless prohibited' principle to dismantle new forms of the Licence Raj and clear 'regulatory cholesterol' for businesses.
The government has introduced a bill in the Lok Sabha to amend provisions for decriminalising minor offences, aiming to promote ease of doing business and living.
Union Minister Annpurna Devi hails the passage of the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2026, as a significant step towards trust-based governance, simplifying laws, and improving the business environment in India.
The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2026, has been passed by the Indian Parliament, decriminalising minor offences across 79 central laws to improve the business environment and reduce harassment. Ministers highlight the bill's role in promoting trust-based governance and ease of doing business.
Who were the mothers who shaped Mahatma Gandhi, Sachin Tendulkar, Narendra Modi and other well-known Indians?
The Centre has asked the Supreme Court to reconsider its judgements decriminalising adultery and same-sex relationships, arguing they were based on a subjective application of 'constitutional morality'.
A bench of Justices M M Sundresh and Satish Chandra Sharma issued notice to former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) professor Amita Singh.
Trinamool Congress MP Nadimul Haque criticised the Jan Vishwas (Amendment and Provisions) Bill, 2026, in the Rajya Sabha, questioning the government's approach to amending multiple central laws through a single piece of legislation and raising concerns about its impact on public health and federal funds owed to West Bengal.
The 2026-27 Budget, seeking to harmonise the government's imperative to grant certainty while ensuring a rational tax policy, had several notable announcements to usher in halcyon days, says Mukesh Butani.
The Budget offers a limited-time regularisation window with clear thresholds, defined payments, and immunity from penalty or prosecution.
'Among corporates, about 60% of income is now reported under the new tax regime.'
'It is too early to conclude that there will be a bloodbath, that there will be no jobs, and that there will be civil unrest.' 'Let's calm down.' 'AI is a tool, it is not a weapon, it is not a virus.'
'Because, if someone remains an undertrial prisoner for five or seven years and is finally proven innocent, how will you compensate for the time lost?'
FDI inflows into India are expected to register robust growth in 2026, supported by strong macroeconomic fundamentals, big-ticket investment announcements, sustained efforts to improve the ease of doing business, and a new generation of investment-linked trade pacts.
This is the first Budget in my memory of Budgets over the last half a century which has embraced upfront, enthusiastically and emphatically, technology, modernity and fiscal sobriety, notes Shreekant Sambrani.
The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) Amendment Bill 2025 has failed to introduce specific timelines for the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) to dispose of appeals, the select committee on the IBC Bill has said in its report.
Mundane as it may seem, this is in some ways a metaphor for the challenges facing the nation, argue Arvind Subramanian and Devesh Kapur in their new book, A Sixth Of Humanity.
The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has launched an integrated audit across 32 states and Union Territories to assess the ease of doing business for the micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) sector.
The Centre is regularly holding consultations with stakeholders to streamline foreign direct investments (FDIs) and foreign institutional investments (FIIs) related processes to enable faster and more efficient investment flows into the country, said Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, adding one such meeting with stakeholders was held on Tuesday.
While the new income tax law replaces the Income Tax Act, 1961 and omits 13 offences, 35 actions and omissions continue to attract criminal liability under 13 provisions.
The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill 2025, aimed at decriminalizing minor offenses to promote ease of living and business, was introduced in the Lok Sabha and referred to a Select Committee.
More than 25 crore workers engaged in sectors ranging from banking, insurance, postal to coal mining, highway and construction are expected to go on a nationwide general strike on Wednesday, potentially disrupting services across the country. A forum of 10 central trade unions and their associates has called for a general strike or 'Bharat Bandh' to "oppose the anti-worker, anti-farmer and anti-national pro-corporate policies of the government".
The Punjab government is considering "decriminalising" drug use so that addicts caught with small amounts of narcotics are sent to de-addiction centres and not jails, a minister said in Chandigarh on Wednesday.
Fourth-term Bharatiya Janata Party MP Nishikant Dubey, one of the more vocal party members in the Lok Sabha, launched a broadside against the Supreme Court on Saturday, saying Parliament and state assemblies should be closed down if the apex court has to make the laws.
Over 25 crore workers across India are set to strike against new labour codes and privatisation, potentially disrupting banking, postal, and other essential services.
A government ministry has proposed decriminalising offences under the Collection of Statistics Act 2008 as part of the government's efforts to rationalise legislations to promote the ease of doing business. The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has invited public comments on its draft proposal by October 30. The proposal to amend sections of the act will decriminalise offences like obstructing or deceiving statistics officers by doing away with the provision of simple imprisonment up to six months.
The government may drop its plan to decriminalise cheque bounce offences after there were requests to continue the existing system, which can potentially make people honour their financial commitments due to fear of prosecution. It would seek directions from a Supreme Court panel formed to expedite the pendency of cheque bounce cases before taking a final call. Last year the Department of Financial Services (DFS) had proposed decriminalising minor offences, which included cheque bouncing, for improving business sentiment and unclogging court processes.
Former Supreme Court judge Justice Rohinton Nariman has warned that events similar to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre could occur if the 'basic structure' doctrine of the Constitution is diluted. In his new book, 'The Basic Structure Doctrine: Protector of Constitutional Integrity,' Nariman argues that the 1973 Kesavananda Bharati judgment, which established the doctrine, is essential for protecting fundamental rights and preventing constitutional amendments that could lead to such tragedies. Nariman's concerns are echoed by Supreme Court judge Justice K V Viswanathan, who applauds the book for its "chilling clarity" and underscores the importance of the Kesavananda Bharati ruling. The book provides a detailed analysis of the doctrine and its implications, highlighting the robustness of the Kesavananda Bharati judgment and the lack of a compelling alternative theory.
Industry body CII has pitched for a reduction in personal income tax rates, decriminalisation of the goods and services tax and a relook at the capital gains tax rates as part of its agenda presented to the government for the forthcoming Budget. Arguing that the GST law already contains adequate penal provisions for deterrence against evasion of taxes, CII has suggested decriminalisation of GST law. Also, the applicability of prosecution provisions should not be based on the absolute amount of tax evasion but should be based on real intent to evade the taxes and a certain percentage of the tax payable, it stated.
One of the changes being proposed is allowing LLPs to issue non-convertible debentures.
The Modi government's flagship initiative 'Make in India' launched 10 years ago has helped the country boost exports, push investments and promote manufacturing. Under the initiative, launched on September 25, 2014, a series of measures have been taken by the government to boost local manufacturing. These initiatives include the rollout of production linked incentive (PLI) schemes for 14 sectors, easing foreign direct investment (FDI) norms, reducing compliance burden to improve business climate, all approvals through single window, and rolling out of the national logistics policy.
In a major relief for taxpayers, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday announced an increase in the threshold for Tax Deduction at Source (TDS) on rent from Rs2.40 lakh per annum to Rs6 lakh per annum while presenting the Union Budget 2025-26. Presenting the budget in Lok Sabha, the Finance Minister said, "The annual limit of Rs 2.40 lakh for TDS on rent is being increased to Rs 6 lakh.
Covering 37 different legislations such as the Partnership Act of 1932, Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, and laws on environmental protection, consumer protection and labour interests, the recommendations have been shared with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
Budget 2025-26 delivers a carefully calibrated strategy-stimulating demand and investment while keeping fiscal discipline intact. In an environment marked by global trade disruptions, and a softening in urban consumption, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has taken a measured approach.
Government will assist the Supreme Court in arriving at a "right decision" on the issue of decriminalising homosexuality and no decision should be expected from the Union Cabinet on the matter, Law Minister M Veerappa Moily said on Sunday.
A five-judge bench of the Supreme Court will consider review pleas challenging the October 2023 verdict that declined legal sanction to same-sex marriage. The review pleas will be heard in chambers on January 9, with Justice P S Narasimha being the only member of the original bench that delivered the verdict.
The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a batch of pleas seeking to review its October 2023 verdict declining legal sanction to same-sex marriage.
'Binary fission will happen -- startups will lead to more startups.'
You can also read about the Indira Gandhi Assassination Case, the Parliament Attack Case, the Red Fort Attack Case, the Jessica Lal Murder Case, the Decriminalisation of Homosexuality Case among others.
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