Opposition Boycott on JPC for Constitutional Amendments: Congress, TMC Decline to Join Panel Over ‘Innocent Until Proven Guilty’ Principle
NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Aparajita Sarangi has been appointed the Chairperson of the Joint Committee of Parliament (JPC) tasked with scrutinizing three significant and contentious pieces of legislation, including the proposed Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill, 2025.
The three Bills referred to the 31-member committee are The Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill, 2025, The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2025 and The Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, 2025
The core of the three Bills, which were introduced on the final day of the Monsoon Session on August 20, is to mandate the automatic removal of the Prime Minister, Chief Ministers, and other Ministers if they are arrested and detained for thirty consecutive days on serious criminal charges (offences punishable with imprisonment for five years or more). The government has stated the Bills are necessary to uphold constitutional morality and public trust in governance.
The Lok Sabha had adopted a motion to refer the Bills to the JPC for detailed examination and recommendations.
The 31-member committee is dominated by the ruling alliance, comprising fifteen MPs from the BJP and eleven from its National Democratic Alliance (NDA) allies. The remaining members include four from the Opposition and one nominated member.
Prominent Members of the Panel Include, BJP’s Ravi Shankar Prasad, Parshottambhai Rupala, Anurag Thakur, and Brij Lal. Nominated Rajya Sabha member Sudha Murty. Opposition, Supriya Sule, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Asaduddin Owaisi, and Niranjan Reddy.
However, the committee’s formation has been marked by a significant political divide, with two major opposition parties, the Congress and the Trinamool Congress (TMC), declining to nominate members to the committee.
The two parties stated their decision to boycott the panel is based on their fundamental objection to the Bills themselves. They argue that the proposed legislation “violates the fundamental principle of law that a person is innocent until proven guilty,” as it provides for automatic removal solely on the basis of detention without a conviction. Opposition parties have also raised concerns that the provision could be misused to destabilize governments in states ruled by rival parties.