Patna: Bihar Assembly on Wednesday passed 13 bills during the monsoon session, approving legislative changes across law and order, higher education, urban development, financial administration and local governance.
Among the key measures cleared were amendments to the Bihar Crime Control Act, the Indian Stamp Act, and laws governing private universities. During the debate, proposals by RJD MLA Rahul Sharma to refer the bills to a select committee and amendment motions moved by AIMIM MLA Akhtarul Iman were rejected by a majority vote.
Government Pushes Higher Education Reforms
Presenting the Bihar Private Universities (Amendment) Bill, Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary said the government aims to strengthen Bihar’s higher education ecosystem so students no longer need to move to other states for quality education.
He said many students currently pursue higher studies outside Bihar under the Student Credit Card scheme, resulting in the outflow of thousands of crores of rupees each year.
Under the amended law, sponsoring bodies may receive temporary permission to operate a private university for one academic session if they provide a written assurance on the availability of buildings, infrastructure and other required facilities. The permission will automatically lapse if the prescribed conditions are not fulfilled within the stipulated period.
Crime Control Act Expanded
The Assembly also approved the Bihar Crime Control (Amendment) Bill, 2026, expanding the scope of the Crime Control Act (CCA) to cover organised crime, land mafia activities, paper leak gangs, offences involving explosives, large-scale damage to public property and the smuggling of forest resources.
Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary told the House that the amended law also provides for imprisonment ranging from six months to one year for individuals who use abusive language, engage in verbal abuse or make derogatory remarks against any person on social media platforms.
Stricter Action Against Stamp Duty Evasion
The Assembly passed the Indian Stamp (Bihar Amendment) Bill, introducing stricter penalties for undervaluation of property during registration.
Minister Madan Sahni said individuals found concealing the actual value of property to reduce stamp duty payments will face a financial penalty equal to the outstanding amount. He added that registration officials have been authorised to verify market values, while provisions have also been made to initiate action against officials found negligent.
Other Bills Passed
The Assembly also passed:
• Shaheed Jubba Sahni School of Architecture and Civil Engineering Bill
• Bihar Engineering University (Amendment) Bill
• Dr Syama Prasad Mukherjee School of Artificial Intelligence and Computer Science Bill
• Bihar Prison and Correctional Services Bill
• Bihar Shops and Establishments (Employment and Conditions of Service) Repeal Bill
• Registration (Bihar Amendment) Bill
• Ease of Doing Business Bill
• Bihar State Panchayat (Amendment) Bill
• Bihar Specialized University Bill
