Bills to remove arrested PM, CMs, ministers tabled: Draft to be sent to JPC, says Amit Shah amid Oppn uproar in Parliament

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said that the bill for the removal of a Prime Minister, Chief Minister, or a minister of state or Union Territory held on serious charges will be sent to a joint parliamentary committee (JPC). He added that members of both Houses, including the Opposition, will get an opportunity to give their suggestions.

His statement came amid uproar from the Opposition benches in the Lok Sabha.

Shah tabled 3 bills in the Lok Sabha for the removal of a Prime Minister, Chief Minister, or a minister of state or Union Territory when arrested or detained for serious criminal charges for 30 days in a row.

The bills tabled by Shah are the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill 2025, the Constitution (One Hundred And Thirtieth Amendment) Bill 2025, and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill 2025.

Key pointers to know about the draft tabled in Parliament

• Prime Minister, Chief Ministers, ministers and ministers of state come under the purview
• Ouster in crimes with a jail term of more than 5 years
• Automatic disqualification if the leader does not quit on the 31st day after his/her arrest
• The President, Governors, and Lieutenant Governors are empowered to oust the arrested leader
• No conviction needed, arrest is enough for removal

Meanwhile, the Opposition parties slammed the Bills as a backdoor attempt to topple non-BJP governments. They also accused the Centre of arming itself with the power to oust elected leaders using 'biased' investigative agencies and arbitrary arrests.

The Opposition parties, especially Congress, also sought the immediate withdrawal of these Bills since they violated the Constitutional provisions.

AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi likened the Bills to the Gestapo during the Nazi party regime in Germany, adding that the government is trying to convert the country into a police state. "This will empower unelected agencies to undermine democracy," Owaisi added.

When Congress MP KC Venugopal raised the issue of Shah's arrest as the Home Minister of Gujarat, the senior BJP leader said he resigned on moral grounds before his arrest and joined the government only after he was discharged by the court. 

"We cannot be so shameless that we continue to occupy constitutional positions while facing serious charges," Shah said.

Some leaders who were arrested but clung to power were former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal (6 months), former Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia (17 months), former Delhi minister Satyendra Jain (2 years 4 months), Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren (5 months), and Tamil Nadu minister Senthil Balaji (1 year 3 months).