Constitutional Amendments, IBC Changes, Data Protection Reforms, and Criminal Law Updates: Major Amendment Bills Introduced in Rajya Sabha

On 5-12-2025, a series of amendment bills were introduced in the Rajya Sabha to strengthen and modernise key laws. These bills aim to address emerging social, technological, and governance challenges across multiple sectors. Together, they update existing Acts to ensure clearer protections, better enforcement, and improved public accountability.

Following are the Amendment Bills introduced in Rajya Sabha-

Surrogacy Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024:

The Bill seeks to amend the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021 and the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act, 2021 to embed equality and non-discrimination. It expands access to surrogacy for individuals across diverse sexual orientations, gender identities, and marital statuses. The proposal aims to dismantle exclusionary barriers and ensure inclusive, dignified family building options for all.

Digital Personal Data Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2025

This Bill amends the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 to expand safeguards, strengthen consent requirements, and enhance individual rights in personal data processing. It aims to broadens the definition of harm, formally defines profiling, and strengthens security safeguards to ensure stronger protection of personal data. It mandates explicit, purpose specific and unbundled consent for all data sharing, including cross border transfers, treating violations as data breaches with penalties and compensation. Individuals gain new rights such as data erasure, portability, and compensation for harm caused by misuse. The amendment tightens limits on exemptions, ensures judicial oversight, and restores transparency norms weakened earlier. It restructures the Data Protection Board to guarantee independence, expert led appointments, and accountability.

Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Amendment Bill, 2024:

The following amendments to the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 are proposed through separate bills to strengthen and update the existing law:

• Amendment 1— Expansion of Protection and Recognition of Gender Diversity:

  This amendment aims to broaden the 2013 Act by extending protection to all persons, reflecting evolving gender identities and modern workplace realities. It reinforces constitutional guarantees of equality, non-discrimination, and dignity under Articles 14, 15, and 21. By covering individuals across all gender identities, the Bill aligns Indian law with global standards and promotes inclusive, rights-based workplace environments.

• Amendment 2— Strengthening Confidentiality, Redressal Processes, and Awareness:

  This amendment aims to strengthen the Act by imposing stricter penalties for revealing a complainant’s identity, ensuring confidentiality and dignity. It allows aggrieved women to seek replacement of ICC or LCC members to maintain fairness during inquiries. The complaint-filing window is extended from three months to one year, improving access to justice. It also mandates quarterly awareness programs so women, including those in informal sectors, are informed of their rights and available redress mechanisms.

Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2025:

The following amendments to the Constitution of India are proposed through separate bills to strengthen and update the existing law:

• Amendment 2 — Minimum Tenure for the Chief Justice of India:

  This amendment seeks to ensure a minimum fixed tenure for the Chief Justice of India to promote stability, institutional continuity, and judicial independence. A predictable term is intended to strengthen administrative efficiency, support long-term reforms, and enhance the judiciary’s overall effectiveness.

• Amendment 3 — Fundamental Right to Access Communication Technologies:

  The Bill proposes inserting Article 19(1)(h), granting citizens a fundamental right to access the internet, telephonic and digital communication, mass media, and newspapers. Recognising that meaningful freedom of speech requires access to modern communication tools, the amendment aims to reduce digital inequality and strengthen democratic participation by ensuring citizens can express their views without technological barriers.

• Amendment 4 — Mandatory Pre and Post Legislative Consultation:

  This amendment aims to revise Article 107 to require every Bill to undergo a 30day public consultation, scrutiny by a Parliamentary Committee, and approval by both Houses before passage. It also mandates post legislative public review within six months of enactment and at periodic intervals. The measure responds to declining committee scrutiny and institutionalises transparent, participatory lawmaking aligned with global best practices.

• Amendment 5 — Reform of Centrally Sponsored Schemes and Fiscal Federalism:

  The Bill seeks to amend Article 282 to route CSS grants through State budgets, empowering States to design implementation modalities and scheme branding. It caps State contributions at 25% except in exceptional cases and requires CSS guidelines to be finalised only with approval from at least half the States. The amendment aims to correct fiscal imbalance and strengthen cooperative federalism.

• Amendment 6 — Right to Privacy and Digital Rights (Article 21B):

  This amendment aims to introduce Article 21B to explicitly guarantee the Right to Privacy and Digital Rights, including personal data protection, autonomy, and dignity. It grants citizens control over data collection and processing, restricts surveillance and automated profiling except by lawful procedure, and ensures secure communication and transparency in automated decision-making. It modernises constitutional protections for the digital age and empowers Parliament to enact comprehensive data rights frameworks.

Representation of the People (Amendment) Bill, 2024:

The following amendments to the Representation of the People Act, 1950 and 1951 are proposed through separate bills to strengthen and update the existing law:

• Amendment 1- Definition of “Usual Resident” and Streamlined Voter Registration:

  This amendment aims to introduce a clear definition of “usual resident” to ensure that each voter holds only one valid electoral registration, even if they have multiple legal residences. It also allows citizens living abroad to vote for their home constituencies from their place of usual residence, removing the need to return to India. The measure modernises voter registration, prevents duplication, and expands participation among overseas electors.

• Amendment 2— Introduction of a Structured Right to Recall Mechanism:

  The Bill aims to establishe a formal right-to-recall process, enabling electors to initiate a recall petition when one-fourth of a constituency’s electorate is dissatisfied with their representative. Removal may occur upon securing signatures equal to two-thirds of the votes originally polled. By permitting postal ballots for recall petitions and elections, the amendment ensures inclusivity and wider participation. It aims to enhance accountability, reduce democratic deficits, and strengthen public trust through continuous voter confidence.

Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Bill, 2025:

The Bill seeks to amend the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 to ensure statutory dues are given their rightful priority, reinforcing equity and predictability in the insolvency process. It aims to restore the original legislative intent and strengthen creditor confidence. Overall, the amendment enhances the efficiency of India’s insolvency framework, making it more supportive of economic growth.

Information Technology (Amendment) Bill, 2025:

The following amendments to the Information Technology Act, 2000 are proposed through separate bills to strengthen and update the existing law:

• Amendment 1 — Regulation of Harmful Online Speech and Digital Misconduct:

  This amendment seeks to introduce Section 66AA to the IT Act, 2000, creating narrowly defined offences covering incitement to violence, criminal intimidation, targeted online harassment, and deepfake-related misconduct. It provides clear, constitutionally sound penalties while safeguarding legitimate expression, in line with the Supreme Court’s ruling in Shreya Singhal v. Union of India (2015) 5 SCC 1 that struck down the earlier Section 66A. Responding to rising cyber threats, misinformation, and digital forgeries, the amendment establishes a precise, right-respecting framework to address modern online harms.

• Amendment 2 — Liability for Faulty Digital Navigation and Algorithmic Errors:

  The Bill aims to add Section 43B, making digital service providers—especially mapping and navigation platforms—liable for harm caused by inaccurate directions due to faulty algorithms or misleading data. It mandates accuracy standards, allows compensation up to ₹25 lakh, and introduces criminal liability for negligence. This aims to address increasing accidents linked to erroneous navigation and strengthen user safety and accountability in digital services.

• Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Amendment) Bill, 2025:

  The Bill seeks to amend the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, which has long served as India’s primary animal welfare law but is now inadequate due to low penalties, weak institutions, and outdated provisions. It introduces substantially enhanced penalties, clearly defined offences, and stronger enforcement mechanisms to create real deterrence against cruelty. The bill also restructures and strengthens institutional bodies, including mandatory State Animal Welfare Boards, to ensure effective implementation and oversight. Overall, it modernises India’s animal welfare regime to address contemporary challenges and align with evolving legal and ethical standards.

Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Bill, 2025:

The following amendments to the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 are proposed through separate bills to strengthen and update the existing law:

• Amendment 1 — Decentralised Decision-Making for Human—Wildlife Conflict: The Bill proposed to amend the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 to decentralise forest and wildlife management by granting States greater authority to respond to human—wildlife conflict. It empowers State Governments to recommend that specific Schedule I or II species be temporarily classified as vermin when they pose threats to human life, livelihood, or property. Under the revised Section 62, the Central Government may notify such species as vermin for defined areas and time periods based on State recommendations. This mechanism enables faster, locally informed interventions while preserving overarching wildlife-protection safeguards.

• Amendment 2 — Enhanced State Powers and Conflict-Mitigation Support:

  The Bill aims to further strengthens State participation in wildlife governance by transferring additional powers, such as declaring species or individual animals as vermin in exceptional circumstances, and by establishing a dedicated Wildlife Conflict Mitigation Fund. This fund will provide targeted financial assistance for conflict-mitigation measures, compensation, and protective interventions. The amendment responds to escalating human—wildlife interactions by enabling States to implement swift, context-specific solutions supported by periodic reviews and coordinated oversight. It reinforces cooperative federalism through decentralised authority, structured financial support, and a balanced approach that safeguards ecological integrity while addressing urgent human safety concerns

Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2025:

The Bill seeks to amend the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 to mandate dashboard cameras in all private, commercial, and law enforcement vehicles, making their proper functioning a condition for registration and fitness certification. It empowers the Central Government to set technical standards, regulate footage retention, and ensure secure, lawful access in line with data protection norms. The bill imposes penalties for no installation or malfunctioning of cameras and recognizes dashcam footage as admissible evidence in investigations and legal proceedings. It assigns installation responsibility to manufacturers and ongoing maintenance to vehicle owners or operators.

Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment) Bill, 2025

The following amendments to the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 are proposed through separate bills to strengthen and update the existing law:

• Amendment 1 — Expansion of Early Childhood and Foundational Education:

  This amendment aims to extend the RTE framework to cover children aged 3 to 6 years, formally integrating Balvatikas and expanding the definition of elementary education to ages 3 to 14. It strengthens foundational literacy and numeracy, mandates annual State level reporting, and establishes mechanisms for early detection and support of learning disabilities. The amendment introduces regulatory oversight for private preschools, prescribes qualifications and continuous training for pre-primary teachers, promotes inclusive education through specialised support, and ensures universal access to digital devices, affordable internet, and digital literacy to reduce the digital divide.

• Amendment 2 — Learning Outcomes and Quality Assurance:

  This amendment aims to introduce a statutory definition of “learning outcomes” and mandates annual assessment of these outcomes across all classes and subjects. It removes the exemption that previously allowed government schools to operate without formal recognition, thereby ensuring uniform quality standards across public and private institutions. By shifting the focus from infrastructure based inputs to measurable educational results, the amendment strengthens accountability and aims to significantly improve learning quality nationwide.

Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2025:

This Bill seeks to amend the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 to establish a uniform definition of “child” and strengthen safeguards against child marriage. It amends the definition of “child” to uniformly mean any person under 18, removing the earlier gender-based disparity in minimum marriage age. It resolves legal ambiguities arising from conflicting court interpretations on annulment timelines and ensures equal protection for both boys and girls. By aligning the law with the constitutional principle of equality and the age of majority recognized across Indian statutes, the amendment strengthens safeguards against child marriage. Overall, it promotes uniformity, gender justice, and consistent enforcement of child marriage prohibitions nationwide.

Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2025:

This Bill seeks to amend the Companies Act, 2013 to revise Corporate Social Responsibility (‘CSR’) thresholds and strengthen CSR governance mechanisms. It aims lowers the CSR applicability thresholds to include companies with a net worth of ₹100 crore, turnover of ₹500 crore, or net profit of ₹3 crore, thereby expanding CSR obligations to medium sized firms. It strengthens CSR governance by requiring a Board level CSR Committee with at least one independent director and one director experienced in CSR planning and implementation. By widening the CSR net, the amendment aims to increase private sector contributions to social development. It also addresses gaps in the existing law by ensuring expert oversight in CSR decision-making.

Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (Amendment) Bill, 2025:

This Bill seeks to amend the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 by introducing a new Section 173A to strengthen police response to digital reports of cognizable offences. It introduces a new Section 173A requiring police to act promptly on publicly circulated digital reports of cognizable offences that may affect public safety. It mandates verification, recording of such information, and issuance of a public statement within 24 hours through official communication channels. Supervisory oversight by senior police officers is built in to ensure compliance. Overall, the amendment aims to improve transparency, accountability, and timely police response in the digital age.

Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (Amendment) Bill, 2025:

This Bill seeks to amend the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 by inserting a new Section 72A to criminalise victim shaming, blaming, and intimidation of survivors of sexual offences. It inserts a new Section 72A to criminalise victim shaming, blaming, or intimidation of women and children who have faced sexual offences, including on digital platforms. It penalises statements that justify or normalise sexual violence by attributing it to a victim’s behaviour, clothing, or lifestyle. The amendment introduces graded punishments, with stricter penalties for public servants and public figures. It also imposes liability on intermediaries and media platforms for failing to remove harmful content within 24 hours. Overall, the Bill strengthens a survivor centric justice framework and aims to curb revictimization and societal stigma.

Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024

The Bill seeks to amend the following:

• Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023: The amendment inserts a new Section 299A to criminalise sacrilege of religious texts revered by any community, including the Guru Granth Sahib, Geeta, Quran, and Bible. It defines deliberate and malicious desecration as a serious offence. Punishment is set at a minimum of seven years, extendable to life imprisonment.

• Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023: The amendment updates Section 346 to mandate expedited trials for offences involving sacrilege under the newly added Section 299A. It requires that inquiries or trials for specified offences be completed within two months from the filing of the chargesheet. This ensures swift judicial action in sensitive cases.

Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens (Amendment) Bill, 2025:

The Bill seeks to amend the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007 to strengthen protections and enforcement mechanisms for senior citizens. It empowers Maintenance Tribunals to order direct income deductions, up to 20%, from children or relatives to ensure regular financial support. A streamlined complaint and appeal mechanism is introduced, with strict timelines for hearings and decisions. Employers or pension authorities face daily penalties for failing to implement maintenance orders, and cases involving citizens aged 75+ receive priority disposal.

Food Safety and Standards (Amendment) Bill, 2025

This Bill seeks to amend the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 to bring Halal and other religious dietary certifications under exclusive government authority. The Bill brings Halal and other religious dietary certifications under exclusive government authority, prohibiting private bodies from issuing or charging for such certifications. It establishes a central Committee to set standards, identify food items requiring religious certification, and monitor misuse. All certification fees must go to the Consolidated Fund of India, and certification is restricted strictly to edible food products. The amendment aims to ensure transparency, standardization, and public accountability in religious dietary certifications, strengthening consumer trust and regulatory integrity.

Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Amendment Bill, 2025:

The Bill seeks to amend the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956 by introducing a comprehensive definition of “trafficking in person,” covering coercion, deception, abuse of power, and multiple forms of exploitation, including sexual exploitation, forced labour, slavery like practices, and organ removal. It clarifies that a victim’s consent is irrelevant when coercive means are used and extends protection to children even without proof of coercion. A new Section 5A is added to impose life imprisonment for anyone committing trafficking in persons. Overall, the amendment strengthens legal clarity and significantly enhances penalties to combat human trafficking.

National Food Security (Amendment) Bill, 2024:

The Bill aims to expand the definition of “foodgrains” under the National Food Security Act, 2013 to explicitly include millets alongside rice, wheat, and coarse grains. This change aims to strengthen nutritional outcomes by ensuring the targeted distribution of nutrient rich millets through the Public Distribution System and related welfare schemes. It aligns with national and global efforts to promote millet consumption, given their health benefits and cultural significance.

Child and Adolescent Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2024:

The Bill seeks to amend the Child and Adolescent Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986 to refine exceptions to child labour prohibitions and strengthen safeguards. It refines exceptions to child labour prohibitions by allowing children to assist in family enterprises or work as artists in entertainment and social media content under strict safeguards, limited hours, and mandatory protection of schooling. It introduces penalties for nonfamily individuals who monetize child created content and requires that 50% of a child artist’s earnings be secured in a bank deposit until age 18. Clear definitions of “family,” “family enterprise,” and “artist” are added to prevent misuse. The amendment also strengthens enforcement by adding new penalties for violations of Section 3.

Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2024

The Bill strengthens the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 by sharply increasing penalties for paper leaks and other unfair means, raising punishment to a minimum of 7 years and up to life imprisonment, along with fines up to ₹2 crore. It also imposes heavy financial and operational penalties on service providers involved in exam processes, including a 10-year ban and fines up to ₹5 crore. Senior management found complicit faces the same enhanced imprisonment and a ₹10crore fine. These changes respond to widespread paper leak scandals that have disrupted exams and harmed millions of students. Overall, the amendment aims to deter organised exam fraud and restore credibility, fairness, and trust in India’s public examination system.