Jan Vishwas Bill Withdrawn From Lok Sabha, To Be Reintroduced After Changes
Government withdraws Jan Vishwas Bill 2025 from Lok Sabha to incorporate Select Committee recommendations, plans reintroduction after revising provisions on decriminalisation and compliance.
Published : March 17, 2026 at 3:55 PM IST
New Delhi: Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday withdrew the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2025, after seeking the Lok Sabha’s permission. The move follows the submission of the Select Committee’s report on the Bill.
The Bill aimed to amend several laws to decriminalise and rationalise offences, with the broader goal of promoting trust-based governance.
According to officials, the Bill will be reintroduced after incorporating the recommendations of the Lok Sabha Select Committee. As per parliamentary procedure, a pending bill can be withdrawn with the House’s approval, while an existing law can only be repealed through a separate repealing bill.
The Bill was originally introduced to amend certain laws to decriminalise minor offences and streamline compliance, in line with the government’s push for ease of living and ease of doing business. Piyush Goyal had introduced it in the Lok Sabha during the Monsoon Session of Parliament in 2025.
According to the Statement of Objects and Reasons, the idea was not just to make life easier for citizens and businesses, but also to reduce the burden on courts. It proposed resolving a large number of minor violations through compounding, adjudication, and administrative mechanisms rather than litigation. This would help individuals address minor, often unintentional, lapses without lengthy legal processes, saving time, effort and resources.
The statement also highlighted that trust between the government, citizens and institutions is central to democratic governance. It noted that outdated rules and regulations often create a trust deficit. The Bill was part of the government’s broader effort to promote the principle of 'minimum government, maximum governance' and to simplify the regulatory framework.
The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2025, builds on reforms initiated under the Jan Vishwas Act, 2023. It proposed decriminalising minor offences across various laws, reducing compliance burdens on businesses, and introducing a system in which first-time violations could attract warnings, with penalties applied for repeated offences.
The proposed changes covered a wide range of sectors, including agriculture and industry. The overall aim was to create a more business-friendly and transparent regulatory environment by removing unnecessary legal hurdles and simplifying procedures.
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