Source: The post Jan Vishwas Bill 2025 has been created, based on the article “Jan Vishwas Bill: Towards trust-based governance” published in “Hindustan times” on 3 September 2025. Jan Vishwas Bill 2025.
UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper-2- Indian Constitution—Historical Underpinnings, Evolution, Features, Amendments, Significant Provisions and Basic Structure.
Context: India’s regulatory framework has long been criticised for over-criminalisation, where even minor compliance failures could lead to imprisonment and criminal records. The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2025, seeks to address this challenge by shifting from a punitive enforcement culture to a trust-based, correction-first approach aimed at improving ease of doing business and governance.
Need for the Bill
- Colonial legacy of distrust: Many laws criminalised even minor lapses, creating an environment of fear and rent-seeking.
- Burden on judiciary: With over 50 million pending cases, minor infractions add to judicial delays.
- Business environment: MSMEs in particular suffered as small procedural mistakes led to disproportionate penalties.
Key Provisions of the Bill
- Decriminalisation of minor offences: 288 provisions shifted from criminal penalties to civil penalties across 16 central Acts.
- Graduated penalty system: Introduction of “improvement notices” for first-time offences, giving violators a chance to comply before facing fines.
- Adjudication by officers: Designated officials will handle violations through administrative processes rather than dragging cases to courts.
- Focus on deliberate fraud: Serious offences like fraudulent deliveries or deliberate deception retain imprisonment, ensuring accountability.
Significance of the Bill
- Promotes trust-based governance: It recognises the difference between inadvertent errors and wilful fraud.
- Encourages entrepreneurship: It reduces fear of criminalisation, especially for MSMEs, and boosts ease of doing business.
- Predictable compliance environment: Graduated penalties create certainty and fairness in enforcement.
- Reduces judicial burden: By shifting minor violations outside the courts, the judiciary can focus on more serious cases.
Way Forward
- Effective implementation: Administrative officers must act fairly to prevent corruption or misuse.
- Awareness among businesses: MSMEs need clarity on the new system to avoid compliance gaps.
- Balancing deterrence and trust: While decriminalisation is welcome, strong enforcement is still required for deliberate fraud.
Question: Discuss how the Jan Vishwas Bill, 2025, strengthens India’s move towards trust-based governance and ease of doing business.
