A new legislation aimed at de-criminalising a range of minor offences by replacing criminal penalties with monetary fines is all set to be announced.
The initiative by the Gujarat government is intended to ease the compliance burden, reduce case pendency in courts, and enhance the ease of doing business in the state.
Up to eleven distinct state-applicable statutes have been proposed for modification.
The Gujarat Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill will be introduced in the State Assembly during the next Monsoon Session, State Minister Rushikesh Patel told a section of the media.
The Gujarat Jan Vishwas Bill is one of the most important of the five bills that the Assembly will review and perhaps approve during the Monsoon Session.
The scope of the Bill includes a wide array of minor violations for which criminal penalties will be replaced with fines. These include acts such as unauthorised construction, encroachment on public land, failure to remove waste material, and non-payment of taxes. Additional offences to be decriminalised involve the discharge of sewage without obtaining prior municipal consent, selling dairy products without the necessary licence, and ignoring municipal directives.
The government feels that many of the current regulations are out of date and add to an unreasonable cost of compliance for both corporations and residents, according to official papers.
Further, the Bill seeks to address offences like accommodating pilgrims in unauthorised structures, defacing or tampering with street signage, and preventing authorised officials from accessing premises. It also proposes that the penalty for loitering with the intent of engaging in prostitution be changed from a criminal charge to a financial fine.
The Gujarat Municipalities Act, the Gujarat Town Planning and Urban Development Act, and the Gujarat Agricultural Produce Marketing Act are among the frameworks that could be impacted.
The goal of these modifications, according to Patel, is “simplifying regulations and reducing case backlogs in courts.” The administration, he said, is working to “rationalise existing legal provisions and promote trust-based governance.”
Additionally, two key bills will be introduced in the health sector.
Reports added that the Gujarat Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) (Amendment) Bill, 2025 will provide clinical institutions with more reasonable timelines for mandatory registration which falls under the 2021 Act.
“These amendments are aimed at creating a more industry-friendly environment, ensuring worker welfare, aligning with national tax laws, and strengthening healthcare regulation across the state,” Patel was quoted as saying.
In order to bring state law into compliance with the GST Council’s recommendations and guarantee consistency with federal GST laws, the Finance Department will present the Gujarat Goods and Services Tax (Second Amendment) Bill, 2025.
The Bill should come as a relief to the state, for it reflects a growing recognition that outdated punitive laws can hinder both justice and economic efficiency.
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