- The Constitution Amendment Bill allows removal of PM, CMs jailed for 30 days without conviction
- P Chidambaram asked if there is "anything more bizarre in the legal world?"
- Trial courts rarely grant bail quickly, risking destabilisation of elected governments, the Congress MP said
Amid the row in Parliament over the Constitution amendment Bill that proposes that the Prime Minister, Chief Ministers and ministers jailed for a month can be removed from office, senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP P Chidambaram has described the legislation as "extraordinary" and "patently unconstitutional".
"If an arrested Chief Minister does not get bail in 30 days, he will cease to be Chief Minister! Have you heard of anything more bizarre in the legal world?" Mr Chidambaram, also a senior lawyer, said on X. "No charges, no trial, no conviction but the verdict of the people in an election will be overturned by a mere arrest (usually on fake charges)."
The senior Congress leader said trial courts seldom grant bail these days and high courts are reluctant, too. "Thousands of bail applications land in the Supreme Court every month. This process will take many weeks. Meanwhile, 30 days will pass and the elected government will be destabilised. Can there be anything more illegal, unconstitutional, anti-democratic, and anti-federal?" he asked.
The government introduced an extraordinary and patently unconstitutional Bill In the Lok Sabha yesterday
— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) August 21, 2025
If an arrested Chief Minister does not get bail in 30 days, he will cease to be Chief Minister!
Have you heard of anything more bizarre in the legal world?
No charges, no…
Union Home Minister Amit Shah introduced the Bill in Lok Sabha yesterday amid loud protests from the Opposition benches. The Bill was then referred to a Joint Committee that will comprise 21 members of the Lok Sabha and 10 Members of the Rajya Sabha.
The Constitution Amendment Bill states that the Prime Minister, Chief Ministers, and ministers jailed for 30 days for an office that carries a jail term of five years or more can be removed from office even if they are not convicted.
The Opposition has alleged that such a law would destabilise state governments, particularly those helmed by Opposition parties. They have alleged the BJP-ruled Centre plans to use central agencies to frame non-BJP Chief Ministers, put them behind bars and then get them removed from office.
Home Minister Shah has said the purpose behind bringing the law "is to elevate the declining moral standards and maintaining integrity in politics".
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