India, May 27 -- The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2026 is a landmark legislation. Criminal offences have been replaced with civil penalties across 80 central laws. Businesspeople will no longer face imprisonment for these offences but only pay fines. Some first-time offenders will be warned and given the chance to set things right.

The Act's structure is lean - five operative sections and all the amendments tucked into a schedule. At first glance, it is a masterclass in legislative drafting. But then there is section 4 - the section that swallows the Act. Section 4 is the Act's "savings clause", a standard and necessary legal precaution that ensures that new laws do not inadvertently disturb existing legal structures. The p...