What happened (announced reforms and performance highlights)

The Government, through the Ministry of Law and Justice (as reported in a PIB communication dated 8 August 2026), outlined progress on legislative reforms for decriminalisation of minor violations, strengthening of alternate dispute resolution (ADR), and updates linked to judicial infrastructure for district and subordinate courts.

The Government presented reforms as part of a continuous process aimed at improving ease of doing business by reducing compliance burden and improving proportionate enforcement.

Decriminalisation: removing criminal penalties and rationalising laws

The Government stated that it is reviewing provisions in various enactments to make laws more balanced and practical. The Government’s direction is to reduce criminalisation of minor violations by replacing criminal penalties with more proportionate civil penalties and administrative mechanisms.

A major reported step in this direction was the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2023, which removed criminal penalties for a number of minor offences across several Central laws.

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