130th Amendment Bill Report Put on Hold as Parliament Panel Seeks More Consultations

The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) examining the 130th Constitution Amendment Bill has decided to defer the adoption of its draft report, citing the need for further discussions and wider consultations with stakeholders .

The decision was taken on Friday after members of the panel felt that more deliberations were required before finalising the recommendations. Committee chairperson Aparajita Sarangi said the decision was taken unanimously as members wanted additional consultations and discussions on the provisions of the proposed legislation.

The committee had recently circulated its draft report , which included five key recommendations related to the Bill. During Friday’s meeting, members began voting on each recommendation separately, but the process was halted after concerns were raised over the need for more detailed discussions.

The 130th Amendment Bill seeks to provide for the removal of the Prime Minister, Union Ministers and Chief Ministers if they remain in custody for 30 consecutive days in connection with serious criminal charges . The proposed changes have triggered political debate, with opposition parties raising concerns over certain provisions.

Among those who had submitted dissent notes were AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi and NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) MP Supriya Sule . However, both leaders withdrew their dissent notes after the committee decided to postpone the adoption of the report.

Speaking after the meeting, Sarangi said the panel members had reached a consensus that more engagement with stakeholders was necessary before moving ahead with the report.

The committee is now expected to hold further discussions before finalising its recommendations and presenting the report to Parliament. The delay in adopting the draft report indicates that members are seeking broader agreement on the proposed constitutional changes before submitting their final views.