Congress likely to boycott JPC on 3 key bills to oust jailed CMs, ministers

No person, while under arrest and in jail, can govern as Prime Minister, chief minister, or minister of the central or state government

The Congress party, following in the steps of other key Opposition parties, has reportedly decided to boycott the joint parliamentary committee (JPC) to assess the three bills that seek the removal of CMs and ministers arrested for 30 consecutive days on serious charges.

According to party sources cited by PTI, the decision could be communicated to the Lok Sabha Speaker soon.

Which other parties are boycotting the panel?

Trinamool Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and Aam Aadmi Party have made their stance clear that they will not be part of the committee. Signalling its position, the Samajwadi Party has suggested the Opposition remain united in refusing to join the panel. Other Opposition parties have not openly declared their stand, but none have agreed to take part.

Earlier this month, Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla had stated that no political party wrote to him over boycotting the joint panel to examine the three bills.

"On the issue of JPC, no political party has communicated to me in writing on this subject," Birla had told reporters.

When were the three bills introduced?

Union home minister Amit Shah, during the monsoon session of Parliament, introduced the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirtieth Amendment) Bill, the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2025 in Lok Sabha.

The proposed laws call for the removal of the prime minister, chief ministers, and ministers under arrest for 30 consecutive days on serious charges.

The Bills ignited fierce protest from the entire opposition, which claimed they were unconstitutional and aimed at targeting its leaders in power in different states.

What Amit Shah said on the three bills?

-No person, while under arrest and in jail, can govern as Prime Minister, chief minister, or minister of the central or state government.

-When the Constitution was framed, its architects could not have imagined that in the future, there would be political figures who would refuse to resign on moral grounds before being arrested. In recent years, an astonishing situation has arisen in the country where chief ministers or ministers have unethically run the government from jail without resigning.

-This bill includes a provision that allows an accused politician to seek bail from the court within 30 days of arrest. If they fail to secure bail within 30 days, on the 31st day, either the Prime Minister at the Centre or the chief ministers in the states will remove them from their positions; otherwise, they will automatically become legally disqualified from performing their duties. If such a leader is granted bail after the legal process, they may resume their position.