Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: In a major shift, Parliament has cleared the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2026, removing jail terms for a wide range of minor violations in the healthcare sector and replacing them with fines. The move is aimed at reducing litigation, easing compliance and creating a more trust-based system.The law amends 784 provisions across 79 central Acts, with 717 offences decriminalised. In healthcare, key laws including the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, Pharmacy Act, 1948, Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2010 and National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions Act, 2021 have been revised to remove imprisonment for procedural lapses.The impact will be most visible in how penalties are imposed. For example, under the Drugs and Cosmetics law, violations related to cosmetics that earlier carried up to one year in jail will now attract a fine of Rs 1 lakh or three times the value of seized products, whichever is higher. In repeat or more serious cases, fines can go up to Rs 5 lakh.The law also brings in a new system where designated officers — not courts — will handle such cases. These officers can issue notices, conduct hearings and impose penalties. Appeals can be filed with higher authorities and are to be decided within a fixed timeline, including a 60-day window.For hospitals and clinics, this means minor shortcomings that do not pose a risk to patients will no longer lead to criminal cases. Instead, they will face graded fines, which can increase for repeated violations.At the same time, the law is not lenient on serious offences. Actions such as obstructing food safety officials or tampering with seized products will still attract jail terms, keeping public health safeguards intact.The changes are expected to cut court cases and shift minor violations to a penalty-based system, with Centre and states tasked with setting up adjudication mechanisms.
