Overview

• The Constitution (One Hundred and Thirtieth Amendment) Bill, 2025 would remove a prime minister, chief minister or minister automatically if detained for 30 consecutive days on charges carrying a minimum five-year sentence.
• The draft includes a reappointment clause allowing a return to office if the leader secures bail or is acquitted.
• The Lok Sabha referred the bill to a Joint Parliamentary Committee after raucous scenes in which opposition MPs tore papers and the House was suspended.
• Home Minister Amit Shah defended the proposal as a step to raise political morality and cited Arvind Kejriwal’s detention as a rationale.
• Opposition leaders and analysts warn of misuse by central agencies, erosion of the presumption of innocence and federal imbalance, and note the amendment still requires two-thirds support in both Houses that the BJP does not hold on its own.