Telangana Assembly Passes Praja Viswasam Bill to Decriminalise Minor Offences

The Telangana Legislative Assembly on Friday passed the Telangana Praja Viswasam (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2026, a measure aimed at shifting the state's regulatory framework towards trust-based governance and improving the ease of doing business.

The legislation, modelled on the central Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2023, seeks to decriminalise and rationalise minor offences. It substitutes imprisonment provisions with monetary penalties, raises fines to reflect current economic realities, and allows for the compounding of specified offences.

Under the bill, amendments will be made to nine state enactments: the Telangana Forest Act, 1967; the Telangana Excise Act, 1968; the Telangana Forest Produce (Regulation of Trade) Act, 1971; the Telangana Factories and Establishments (National Festival and Other Holidays) Act, 1974; the Telangana Intoxicating Liquors (Prohibition of Advertisements) Act, 1978; the Telangana Labour Welfare Fund Act, 1987; the Telangana Shops and Establishments Act, 1988; the Telangana Value Added Tax Act, 2005; and the Telangana Industrial Project Approval and Self Certification System (TG-iPASS) Act, 2014.

As part of the exercise, the Telangana Industrial Workers (Representation, Participation in Management and Relief) Act, 1998, has been repealed.

The government noted that several state laws carried criminal provisions prescribing imprisonment for procedural, technical and regulatory defaults. While intended to ensure compliance, such provisions often led to avoidable litigation, burdened the courts and deterred investment and economic activity.

The amendments introduce administrative adjudication mechanisms and provide for graded penalties based on the severity and duration of a default. The government said the changes would reduce litigation, improve regulatory efficiency and transparency, and clear obsolete and redundant laws.