Bhubaneswar, Oct 10: The state government today announced the approval of the Odisha Jan Vishwas Ordinance, 2025, a landmark legal reform to decriminalise minor and procedural regulatory offences, rationalise penalties, and eliminate redundant compliance burdens from selected State legislation.
The initiative is designed to reinforce both Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) and Ease of Living (EoL) across the State by embedding a trust-based, facilitative governance model. In alignment with the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2023 of the Government of India, which advocates replacement of criminal sanctions for nonserious defaults with proportionate civil penalties, Odisha undertook a systematic review of its regulatory framework.
The review process involved nine departments and covered 16 State Acts.
Key Features and Scope
The ordinance will bring into effect graded civil penalty regimes replacing the fine provisions, lower thresholds for procedural defaults, and proportionate sanctioning for technical or regulatory breaches, eliminating imprisonment in non-serious cases. Enquiries and appeals will be adjudicated by authorised officials, shortening resolution time and reducing litigation costs.
These reforms collectively rationalize penalties for minor and regulatory offences, simplify compliance procedures, and bring State laws in harmony with Central legislations such as the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023 and the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2023.
Expected Outcomes:
The decriminalization of minor and procedural lapses under the Odisha Jan Vishwas Ordinance, 2025 will lead to a marked reduction in criminal proceedings and related adjudication costs. With civil penalties replacing imprisonment for non-serious defaults, the regulatory burden on both businesses and individuals will ease significantly. This shift promises faster dispute resolution, fewer court backlogs, lower legal costs, and improved administrative efficiency.At the same time, the adoption of a graded penalty framework and more transparent adjudication processes will bolster regulatory certainty and trust. Compliance will be driven less by fear of punishment and more by clarity, fairness, and predictability.
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