On the face of it, the Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill and two related Bills, tabled in the Lok Sabha and sent to a joint committee on Wednesday, frame a concern about political corruption and seek to enforce constitutional morality. In fact, however, the Bills are deeply troubling pieces of legislation that arrogate to the Executive expanded and concentrated state power and severely shrink safeguards, checks and balances. They undermine the principle of separation of powers and violate federal autonomy. According to the Bills, if any minister, including chief ministers and the Prime Minister, is arrested and remains in custody for 30 straight days, for an offence punishable by five years or more in jail, he or she must resign or lose their office. This proposed automatic removal on unproven charges marks an inexplicable and disturbing departure from the established principle of disqualification only after........

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