New Delhi, April 1 Several opposition MPs on Wednesday criticised the government over the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2026, saying the blanket decriminalisation proposed under it is dangerous for society and demanding that it be referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for scrutiny.
Participating in a debate on the bill, Arvind Sawant of the Shiv Sena (UBT) said dissent notes were given during the bill's scrutiny by the Select Committee of the Lok Sabha.
The Select Committee held 49 sittings and submitted its report to the Lok Sabha on March 13.
Sawant said the penalties proposed for those involved in the business of spurious medicines or adulterated food items are inadequate.
He said they would continue their activities by paying small penalties, claiming that the bill promotes repeat offenders and that public health would be at risk because of that.
K Kavya of the Congress said the proposed legislation promotes "pay and go".
"The major structural flaw is the blanket decriminalisation and there is no classification of offences," she said.
Replacing the deterrence of imprisonment with penalty for risking public health by pushing spurious goods in the market will not do any good, she added.
"The bill in a way promotes the pay-and-escape model.... Rich companies can pay the penalties and escape the liabilities, whereas poor individuals are forced coercive enforcement," Kavya said, adding that the punishment is not proportional to the harm and this would promote corporate crime and corruption.
N K Premachandran of the RSP, who was a member of the Select Committee, said dissent notes were given on several provisions of the bill.
Ease of doing business and ease of living are good concepts but they should not come at the cost of the common man, he said.
Abhay Kumar Sinha of the RJD opposed the bill, saying it is tilted towards the corporate sector as it seeks to decriminalise violations of environment and forest laws.
"This is not the Jan Vishwas Bill but the Poonjipati Vishwas Bill," he said, claiming that it promotes the dangerous idea of breaking the law and escaping by paying a penalty.
He demanded that the bill be sent to a JPC for a comprehensive examination.
Naresh Chandra Uttam Patel of the Samajwadi Party (SP) too opposed the bill and said the government never seeks the views of the public on such matters.
He claimed that people in several parts of the country are facing a shortage of cooking-gas cylinders, but the government is denying that there is any shortage.
The bill needs to be re-considered, he said.
DMK's K Veeraswamy also said the government should refer the bill to a JPC.
Opposing the bill, Prashant Yadaorao Padole of the Congress claimed that it will undermine the role of the judiciary and said it is "legislative bulldozing".
He also claimed that people are facing difficulties in getting domestic LPG cylinders.
"This government is pro-corporate.... It works against people.... It (the bill) should be referred to a JPC," Padole said.
The other members who opposed the bill included Rajesh Ranjan (Independent), Abdul Rashid (Independent), Chandrashekhar Azad (Azad Samaj Party-Kanshi Ram), Priya Saroj (SP), Raj Kumar Roat (Bharat Adivasi Party) and G K Padavi (Congress).
Rashid said the government should re-look at certain provisions of the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) as several innocent people are in jail because of it.
He also said a person should be jailed in the state where he or she has committed a crime.
While rich people escape the country after committing a crime, poor people have to languish in jail for petty offences, Rashid said.
Padavi termed the bill "pro corporate".