The Bill seeks to streamline various services related to immigration and foreigners, including their entry, exit and stay in the country.

• This bill repeals four existing laws Foreigners Act, 1946, Passport (Entry into India) Act (1920), Registration of Foreigners Act (1939), and Immigration (Carriers’ Liability) Act (2000) which governs the services related to immigration and foreigners (refer to box).
• Three of these laws are from the pre-Constitution period brought during extraordinary times of World Wars I and II.

Key provisions of the Bill

• Grounds for Denying Entry or Stay: Foreigners can be denied entry if deemed a threat to national security, sovereignty, public health, or foreign relations.
  • Immigration Officers decisions will be final and binding. 
• Tracking of Foreigners: Institutions such as educational establishments, hospitals, and nursing homes will be required to report foreign nationals to immigration authorities.
• Other:  Stricter Penal Provisions (E.g. 5 years imprisonment or ₹5 lakh fine for entering India without valid documents)

The committee in its report points out that there is a nominal increase in the Budget Estimates (BE) allocation for 2025-26 compared to 2024-25.

Maharashtra has established a dedicated cell under the Additional Secretary (Home) to expedite processing of mercy petitions for death row convicts. 

• This decision follows Supreme Court directive (2024) mandating all States & UTs to create dedicated units within their Home/Prison Departments for efficient handling of mercy petitions.

Mercy Petition

• Mercy petition to the President or Governor is last constitutional resort a convict can take when he is sentenced by court of law.
• Mercy pleas and pardons are discretionary acts of grace, not legal rights.
• Mercy is exercised through clemency power, which is also known as the pardoning power.

Pardoning Power

• President's Pardoning Power (Article 72)
  • Pardon: Complete absolution from punishment.
  • Respite: Lesser punishment due to special circumstances like disability or pregnancy.
  • Reprieve: Temporary stay of execution, allowing time for appeal.
  • Remit: Reduces duration of sentence while keeping its nature the same.
  • Commute: Replace the punishment with a lesser form, e.g., death to life imprisonment.
• President’s power extends to court-martial cases, offenses under Union law, death sentence cases etc.
• Governor's Pardoning Power (Article 161): Governor too has pardoning powers, but these do not extend to death sentences and court Martials.
• President & Governor do not act independently but on government advice (Maru Ram case, 1980).

Lok Sabha and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) agreed to develop the Sansad Bhashini initiative for AI-powered multilingual Parliamentary operations. 

About Sansad Bhashini initiative

• Aim: To leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance multilingual support (through Bhashini) and streamline parliamentary operations.
  • Bhashini is an AI-powered language translation platform by MeitY.
• The key AI initiatives under Sansad Bhashini include AI-based translation, AI-Powered Chatbot for the Parliament website etc.

A new global survey by The Future of Free Speech ranks India 24th out of 33 countries for free speech support.

Findings of Future of Free Speech Index 2025.

• Scandinavian countries (Norway, Denmark, and Sweden) and two democratic backsliders (Hungary and Venezuela) show the highest levels of support for free speech.
• Declining Support in Some Countries: Countries like Japan, Israel, and the U.S. have experienced significant drops in support for free speech since 2021.
• Traditional media, social media, and AI content generators play pivotal roles in shaping public discourse and raising concerns about free speech.