Thirty Days of Power
By Zeel Shah - BI Monday, Sep 01, 2025
The 130th constitutional Amendment Bill aims to set rules for removing ministers if arrested for 30 days and not granted bail. The Bill responds to the alarming fact that 44% of these lawmakers face criminal charges. Historically, figures like Dr Ambedkar opposed these strict pragmatic rules, trusting the leaders and the public. However, with widespread criminalization of politics, good sense has often failed. But the Bill highlights a greater problem: Equality of the enforcement of laws. The rich and the powerful often find hidden doors of power while the public suffers from brutality. A grace period for ministers, unlike others, risks inequality and undermines the principle of equal justice for all. India needs a fair, simple and unequivocal judicial system. The requirement of enforcement and accountability is alarming. Without a strong will and timely action, criminals will hold power, and the idea of democracy will weaken. Mr. William Gladstone, the British statesman and Prime Minister in the 19th century, had famously said, “Justice delayed is justice denied”. The lawmakers of the country must always remember this.
