From pig encroachment to public defecation to smoking in the metro: How the government is decriminalizing everyday crimes, the bill is now in Lok Sabha
Consider this sequence of events, which is entirely possible under current laws in India: A pig breaks out of its pen and spoils a neighbour’s kitchen garden. The police are called. The pig owner is charged with a criminal offense, brought before a judge, and potentially fined $10 – The last amount considered sufficient as a punishment was in 1871.
Now imagine this most plausible scenario: We are in Delhi, and there is a man urinating on the wall, and therefore he is technically guilty of a criminal offense punishable by the New Delhi Municipal Council Act.
Now, suppose you are in a subway cabin, and a passenger lights a cigarette. This person has just committed a criminal offense, for which a fine of $The 250 has not been revised since the 1980s.
These are not hypothetical, but actual laws, and they represent a problem that the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2026 seeks to address head-on.
It was introduced in the Lok Sabha last week by the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry, The proposed legislation, or bill, proposes to decriminalize at least 717 minor violations across 80 central laws, replacing the risk of arrest, prosecution and imprisonment with civil penalties, administrative adjudications and, in many cases, first warning. This is the third edition of these reforms.
In the latest bill, here are some changes, chosen for brevity and clarity, that illustrate what the new bill means in practice. The bill will become a law or law only if both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha pass it and the President signs it.
Open defecation and public nuisance in Delhi
under Existing under Section 308 of the NDMC Act, “loitering” near a public street – a legal euphemism for urinating or defecating in public – is a criminal offence. It lists a long list of specific discomforts, including inappropriate exposure and improper disposal of “night soil” or feces. All of these matters are punishable as criminal matters. and $50 fine.
The draft law proposes to restructure this framework. Article 369 will be replaced, with the phrase “punishable” replaced by “subject to punishment” throughout. The “Harassment Committee” under Section 308 now attracts A $500 civil penalty
New section 370 also requires that for a category of breaches, a warning notice must first be issued. Section 372, which made some crimes cognizable, meaning police could arrest without a warrant, was completely deleted in the proposed legislation.
Smoking on the subway
The Calcutta Metro Rail (Operation and Maintenance) Interim Provisions Act, 1985, bears only the name of the erstwhile Kolkata, but governs metro lines nationally, and says that smoking in any compartment, carriage or tube station is a criminal offense with a maximum fine of $250.
The bill replaces this provision with a new section that imposes an immediate penalty of $2000 in addition to the mandatory confiscation of the passenger’s permit or ticket. But it is not a criminal offense, just a civil misdemeanor.
The smoker can also be physically removed from the chamber.
If they refuse to pay, only then is the matter taken to the relevant court, which may impose a fine of up to $5000, minimum $2000. The penalty is eight times the old maximum but is civil, not criminal, from the start.
Honking and noise pollution
Under the Motor Vehicles Act 1988, section 194F makes it a criminal offense for the first time to sound a horn unnecessarily or continuously, or sound a horn in an area designated for silence, with a fine of $1000 rises to $2000 pounds for repeat violators
The draft law proposes to replace this with a gradual, non-criminal response. the A first violation will only merit a recorded warning In the form determined by the central government. No fine, no criminal record attached. Only from the second violation onwards will a civil penalty of Rs $1000 LBP $2000 kicks. The same logic extends to Section 190(2)(2): Vehicles violating noise pollution standards get a warning the first time, and a civil penalty of up to $10,000 only when the procedure is repeated.
Milking and tying animals on the street
Milking cattle or tying animals on public streets in New Delhi is an offense under current law attracting a criminal case and a fine of Rs $100, with a continuous daily fine of $5- In case the violation continues. The new bill turns this into a civil crime. New It will be the punishment $1000and A The warning must be issued first.
Animals can still be held captive; The process no longer requires a magistrates court. Likewise, keeping a ‘ferocious dog’ without a muzzle on a public street in Delhi goes from a criminal offense with a police/court record against your name, to a criminal offence. $1000 civil penalty.
Beggars and hawkers on trains
Under the Railways Act 1989, Section 144 at present makes begging and unlicensed vending on any railway carriage or station a criminal offense punishable by up to one year’s imprisonment, or a fine of up to $2000 or both.
The new bill replaces this section entirely. Unlicensed hawking is now attracting an apartment $2000 civil penalty. Begging attracts a $1000 civil penalty and removal from the train. The courts only intervene if the person refuses to pay this fine.
Street performances that cause obstruction
Under the existing Delhi Police Act, 1978, the display of mimicry, musical or other performances which attract crowds and obstruct or disturb the public are regulated under a framework which includes cognizable criminal provisions if permissions are not taken.
The new bill deletes more than six sections. The remaining legal setting under a new section sets the penalty at $100. Just on Inability to pay Could there be a prison that does not exceed Eight days. But it is the mechanism of the crime of default, not the primary penalty for illegal street performances.
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Driving without insurance
This is among the most significant changes proposed for motorists. Under the MV Law at present, driving a vehicle without a valid third party insurance certificate is punishable from the first offense with imprisonment for up to three months, or a fine of $2000 or both. Repeating the crime attracts the same prison with a $4000 fine.
The bill abolishes prison altogether. The new penalty, for the first violation, is three times the basic insurance premium for that category of vehicle, or $5000 whichever is higher. The cost of repeating the offense is five times the basic premium or $10,000 whichever is higher.
What is the basic theory?
Together, these proposed changes carry a common logic: that treating minor civil violations as criminal acts, through FIRs, courts and potential prison sentences, imposes undue costs on citizens, the police and the judiciary, disproportionate to the crimes in question.
The answer to the Jan Vishwas Bill is to replace the old apparatus with civil penalties, judicial officials and, in many cases, the principle of warning first. Courts and criminal prosecution are for those who willfully refuse to comply. It is, according to the bill’s statement of objectives and reasons, an attempt to make India’s regulatory landscape “predictable, transparent and fair”.
Arish Chhabra is an associate editor on the Hindustan Times online team, where he writes news reports and explanatory features, as well as overseeing the site’s coverage. His career spans nearly two decades across India’s most respected newsrooms in print, digital and broadcast. He has reported, written, and edited across formats—from breaking news and live election coverage, to analytical long-reads and cultural commentary—building a body of work that reflects editorial rigor and a deep curiosity about the community for which he writes. Areesh studied English Literature, Sociology and History along with Journalism at Punjab University in Chandigarh, and began his career in that city, eventually moving to Delhi. He is also the author of Little Big City: What Life is Like from Chandigarh, a collection of critical essays originally published as a weekly column in the Hindustan Times, which examines the culture and politics of a city that is much more than just its famous architecture – and in doing so, holds up a mirror to modern India. During his stints at BBC, The Indian Express, NDTV and Jagran New Media, he has worked across formats and languages; Mainly English, as well as Hindi and Punjabi. He was part of the crack team for the BBC Explainer project which was replicated around the world by the broadcaster. At Jagran, he developed editorial guides and trained journalists on integrity and quality content. He has also worked at the intersection of journalism and education. At the Indian School of Business (ISB) in Hyderabad, he developed a website to streamline academic research in management. At Bennett University’s Times School of Media in Noida, he taught students the craft of digital journalism: from newsgathering and writing to social media strategy and video storytelling. Having moved from small town to larger town to megalopolis for education and work, his intellectual passions lie at the intersection of society, politics, and popular culture—a perspective that guides his writing and worldview. When he’s not working, he’s constantly reading long-form journalism or watching cerebral content, sometimes both at the same time.Read more
