Vishwas 2.0 Bill: Decriminalising 16 Central Acts

Vishwas 2.0 Bill: Decriminalising 16 Central Acts

Why in the News?

The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2025, introduced in Lok Sabha, seeks to amend 16 Central Acts to decriminalise minor offences, reduce imprisonment clauses, and promote ease of doing business and ease of living, thereby easing judicial burden.

Key Features of Vishwas 2.0 Bill:

• Objective: To eliminate criminal provisions for minor/technical defaults, encourage trust-based governance, and unclog the overburdened judiciary.
• Scope:

○ Proposes amendments to 355 provisions.

○ 288 provisions decriminalised; 67 rationalised with reduced penalties.

○ Introduces “warning” and “improvement notice” for first-time offenders (under 10 Acts including Motor Vehicles Act, Apprentices Act, Legal Metrology Act).

• Penalty reforms:

○ Higher fines for repeated offences.

○ Automatic 10% penalty increase every 3 years to avoid legislative amendments.

○ Example: Under Electricity Act, imprisonment replaced with fines (₹10,000 – ₹10 lakh).

Rationale and Broader Impact:

• Judicial efficiency:

○ Over 3.6 crore pending criminal cases in district courts; more than 23 crore cases pending for over a year.

○ Criminalisation of minor defaults (e.g., cow milking on streets, improper pet care) burdens courts unnecessarily.

• Business and economy:

○ Of 82 central laws, 370 carry criminal provisions for 7,305 offences.

○ Out of 69,233 compliances, 37.8% carry imprisonment clauses—a major barrier to business.

○ The Bill addresses regulatory overreach which hampers entrepreneurship, investment, GDP growth, and job creation.

• Ease of living: Citizens face penalties rather than arrests for small violations, ensuring a fairer, proportionate justice system.