Why is it necessary to hold any minister guilty until proven innocent?

Alerts from news agencies such as PTI late tonight, 19 August, claim that a new Bill (or Bills) are to be introduced in the Lok Sabha that moot the 'immediate removal' of a chief minister or minister of any union territory from office upon their arrest or detainment on serious criminal charges.

Also expected: a Bill for the summary removal of the prime minister, any union minister or any minister of state who has been arrested or detained on serious criminal charges.

Per the Hindu, a set of three Bills is to be expected to turn up before the Lok Sabha on 20 August, Wednesday.

Of course, the idea of these bills begs the obvious question: There are already courts specifically for MPs and MLAs. There are already mechanisms outlined in the Constitution of India for impeachment of a prime minister. What is the necessity, then, of these new bills? And why now?

Some Opposition leaders have already posted on social media taunting the NDA government — and most especially the BJP — over its need for such draconian distractions.

Assam Congress chief Gaurav Gogoi was among the foremost, saying, "The bills of Home Minister Amit Shah are nothing but a desperate attempt to divert the attention of the public away from the blistering Vote Adhikar Yatra of Shri Rahul Gandhi."

"First CSDS - BJP IT cell drama and now these bills," the deputy leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha continued. "Clearly the winds of change are blowing in Bihar."

Trinamool Congress MP Derek O'Brien joined in to note: "In the dead of night, more stunts from the shaky 239 seat Modi coalition as they look for more ways to MOCK & DISRUPT PARLIAMENT" — he was less specific than Gogoi and fellow Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi, though.

Was Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah one of the first to notice, while being circumspect? Or was his tweet below — a 'Please, I can't take any more of this' meme from a Harry Potter movie — a reference to some other matter?

One of the Bills being tabled is the the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill 2025, after all — definitely looking to bring the battle into his territory. The other two bills are the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill 2025 and the Constitution (One Hundred And Thirtieth Amendment) Bill 2025.

Abhishek Singhvi, for his part, minced no words — though he did abbreviate a few in deference to the X character limit. His tweet (ed: lightly edited for clarity) said, "What a vicious circle! No guildelines for arrest followed! Arrests of opposition leaders rampant and disproportionate. New proposed law removes incumbent chief minister, etc., immediately on arrest. Best way to destabilise opposition is to unleash biased central agencies to arrest opposition CMs and despite being unable to defeat them electorally, remove them by arbitrary arrests!! And no ruling party incumbent CM ever touched!!"