Jan Vishwas Bill 2026: Parliament Decriminalises 717 Offences Across 79 Central Acts

Parliament has passed the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2026, marking the largest single-stroke decriminalisation exercise in Indian legislative history. The Lok Sabha approved the Bill on April 1 and the Rajya Sabha on April 3, 2026. The legislation amends 784 provisions across 79 Central Acts administered by 23 Ministries, decriminalising 717 provisions to promote ease of doing business and rationalising 67 provisions to improve ease of living. For businesses, professionals, and compliance teams across India, this Bill fundamentally changes the risk landscape of regulatory non-compliance by replacing criminal penalties with civil and administrative enforcement mechanisms.

Scope of Decriminalisation: What the Numbers Mean

The Bill rationalises more than 1,000 offences across its 79 target Acts. Imprisonment is removed entirely from 57 provisions that previously carried jail terms for what were essentially procedural or technical defaults. Fines are eliminated from 158 provisions where monetary penalties were deemed disproportionate to the nature of the offence. In 113 additional provisions, both imprisonment and fines are converted into graded civil penalties, shifting the enforcement mechanism from criminal courts to administrative adjudication. The Bill was introduced in Lok Sabha on March 27, 2026 by Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasada, and builds on the earlier Jan Vishwas Act, 2023 which had decriminalised provisions in 42 Acts.

The Graded Enforcement Framework

A central innovation of the Bill is the introduction of adjudicating authorities under multiple Acts for the first time. The enforcement framework follows a graded escalation model: an advisory is issued for the first contravention, a warning for the second contravention, and a civil penalty is imposed only for subsequent violations. Each stage includes procedural safeguards: show cause notices must be issued, personal hearings must be offered, and an appellate mechanism is available to challenge adverse orders. This shifts the regulatory posture from punitive to corrective, giving businesses an opportunity to rectify non-compliance before facing financial penalties. The adjudicating authorities are to be appointed by the Central Government and State Governments under the respective Acts.

Key Sectors Affected by the Bill

The Bill covers a wide range of sectors. In healthcare and pharmaceuticals, amendments span the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, the Pharmacy Act, 1948, the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, the Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2010, and the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions Act, 2021. Commercial and industrial regulations across manufacturing, trade, and services sectors are also covered. Importantly, the Bill retains strict criminal liability for serious violations that affect public health and safety. The reform specifically targets procedural and technical defaults, not substantive offences involving fraud, endangerment, or wilful harm. This distinction is critical: the Bill does not create a permissive regime for serious wrongdoing.

Practical Takeaways for Businesses and Compliance Teams

Businesses operating under any of the 79 amended Acts should conduct an immediate review of which provisions previously attracted criminal liability and map the transition to the new civil penalty regime. Compliance manuals and internal policies that reference criminal consequences for regulatory defaults will need to be updated. Legal teams should identify the newly constituted adjudicating authorities relevant to their sector and understand the procedural requirements for responding to advisories, warnings, and penalty proceedings. While the decriminalisation reduces the personal risk faced by directors and officers for technical non-compliance, it does not reduce the importance of compliance itself. Civil penalties can be substantial, and repeated violations will attract escalating consequences. The Bill represents a maturation of India's regulatory approach, moving from a colonial-era model of criminalising every default to a modern framework that distinguishes between procedural lapses and genuine offences.