Overview

• The Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill proposes automatic removal of any Prime Minister, chief minister or minister who is arrested on charges carrying five or more years in prison and fails to secure bail within 30 days.
• Amit Shah defended the measure as restoring political morality, saying no one should run a government from prison and asserting that courts, not investigative agencies, determine bail.
• Shah said the provision applies to all offices equally, noting that even the Prime Minister would forfeit the post if detained without bail for 30 days.
• Arvind Kejriwal rejected Shah’s rationale, recounting that he ran Delhi’s government for 160 days from jail under what he calls a political conspiracy, and he urged punishment for officials who falsely implicate rivals.
• The bill is under t ParlParliamentary Committee scrutiny, but parties including AAP, TMC and RJD say they will not participate, as Shah criticizes recent parliamentary disruptions and questions the Opposition’s stance.