The Jan Vishwas Bill, which seeks to decriminalise minor offences and bring down the compliance burden for individuals and the industry, could be placed before Parliament in the second part of the Budget session, an official tracking the matter has said.

The Parliamentary Joint Committee, tasked to scrutinise the Bill after it was introduced in Parliament in December last year by Commerce & Industry Minister, Piyush Goyal, is likely to be ready with its report soon.

Amending Acts

“The Parliamentary Joint Committee, that was constituted to hold wide ranging deliberations with stakeholders, has already done six readings of the Bill. It has been meeting various industrial bodies and employee organisations for inputs. We hope to place the Jan Vishwas Bill in Parliament in the ongoing Budget session when it reconvenes in mid-March”, a Commerce & Industry Ministry official told businessline.

Under the Bill, as many as 183 sections across 42 Acts under 19 Ministries are proposed to be amended. These include the Indian Post Office Act, the Environment (Protection) Act, the Legal Metrology Act, the Motor Vehicles Act, the Public Liability Insurance Act and the Information Technology Act, 2000, among others.

“Decriminalisation of minor offences will not only ensure that disproportionate punishment is not meted out for advertent and inadvertent wrongdoings that could be considered ‘minor’, but would also de-clog the courts in a big way,” the official said.

Fines, penalties

The Bill seeks proposes to replace prison terms with only a monetary penalty under certain Acts. “Under some Acts, there are jail terms prescribed for small offences such as putting stamp of less value on couriers, having some inaccuracies in weights and measures, cooperative societies not submitting required papers to certain institutions and submission of false information for registration of car. These could be easily dealt with disciplinary proceedings, including penalties,” the official said.

In some Acts, where there are fines imposed for minor offences, the Bill seeks to replace it with penalties. “There is a distinction between fines and penalties. Fine can be imposed by a judicial mechanism. You have to go to the court. If we remove fines and make them into penalties, these can be levied through the administrative mechanism. You de-clog the courts. The appeal mechanism will also be within the administrative domain. So, everything happens faster. It helps the business ecosystem in a big way,” the official added.

Apart from the Parliamentary Joint Committee holding meetings with stakeholders, various Ministries and Departments, too, had been asked to interact with various associations and submit their inputs. “Although the Jan Vishwas Bill, in its present form, is quite comprehensive, if there is a need for small changes or additions, these could be incorporated based on the feedback received,” the official said.

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