Last week, as India was consumed by controversies over voter list tampering, stray dog policies, and electoral concerns in Bihar, the Indian Parliament quietly passed three major bills: the Income-Tax (No.2) Bill, 2025, the National Sports Governance Bill, 2025, and the National Anti-Doping (Amendment) Bill, 2025. These laws, which could reshape your taxes, your privacy, and the future of Indian sports, were rushed through with barely any debate or opposition. For every Indian, this is a wake-up call: when laws slip through in silence, our privacy and democracy are at stake.

The Income-Tax (No.2) Bill, 2025, passed in the Lok Sabha on August 11 and the Rajya Sabha the next day, replaces the 1961 Income-Tax Act with what the government calls a simpler, modern system for a digital India. But here’s the alarming part: it gives tax officials sweeping powers to access your emails, social media accounts, WhatsApp chats, and other digital spaces if they suspect tax evasion. Imagine tax authorities reading your private messages or scrolling through your Instagram DMs without clear oversight. With over 500 clauses, this bill needed thorough discussion, but it was approved in just three minutes. This isn’t just about taxes—it’s a direct threat to your privacy, a right upheld by the Supreme Court in 2017. For salaried workers, small business owners, or anyone with a smartphone, this means your personal data could be an open book to officials, with little to stop misuse.

The sports bills, passed in a mere 34 minutes on August 11, carry their own concerns. The National Sports Governance Bill, 2025, creates a National Sports Board and a tribunal to streamline sports management, while the National Anti-Doping (Amendment) Bill, 2025, strengthens penalties and testing to align with global standards, eyeing India’s 2036 Olympics bid. But a controversial detail stands out: the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was exempted from the Right to Information (RTI) Act. Initially, the bill proposed making all sports bodies, including the BCCI, answerable under RTI, which would let fans question team selections or how cricket’s billions are spent. An amendment, however, limited RTI to bodies receiving direct government funds, letting the BCCI—a financial giant that doesn’t take such funds—stay opaque. Despite calls from the Supreme Court and others for transparency, cricket, India’s biggest sport, remains shielded from public scrutiny. These bills, with only two MPs speaking and amendments ignored, missed the debate they needed to protect athletes and fans alike.

How did this happen? The opposition was nowhere to be found, caught up in protests outside Parliament. Allegations of “vote chori” (vote theft) and voter list tampering in Bihar’s Summary Intensive Revision (SIR) process had leaders like Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge marching to the Election Commission on August 11. Many were detained by police, leaving Parliament’s opposition benches nearly empty. Meanwhile, a Supreme Court order to relocate stray dogs from Delhi-NCR sparked outrage, with MPs like Shashi Tharoor and Priyanka Gandhi pushing for humane solutions like shelters. These issues—electoral integrity and animal welfare—mattered, but they distracted the opposition from their duty to scrutinize laws that could invade your privacy or shield powerful bodies like the BCCI.

This feels like a calculated move. With opposition MPs detained or protesting, the government pushed these bills through with quick voice votes, no real debate, and no changes allowed. Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien called it a “murder of Parliament,” and he’s right. Laws that let tax officials into your private chats or keep cricket’s operations secret need rigorous discussion. Without it, we risk laws that prioritize control over fairness. The Income-Tax Bill’s privacy intrusions could chill free expression, while the BCCI’s RTI exemption keeps a national institution unaccountable. The sports reforms, though promising, needed more input to ensure they truly serve athletes.

Democracy thrives on open discussion, not hurried decisions. All MPs, whether from the government or opposition, should prioritize debating laws that affect us all. As citizens, we can play a role too—by staying informed and asking questions about what these laws mean for our taxes, our privacy, and our sports. Last week, Parliament acted while India was focused elsewhere. Let’s hope for more transparency and engagement in the future, so our voices—and our rights—are fully heard.

Sources

• “Finance Minister Sitharaman introduces Income-Tax (No.2) Bill in Lok Sabha.” The Economic Times, August 11, 2025.
• “Lok Sabha passes Income-Tax (No.2) Bill, 2025.” The Hindu, August 11, 2025.
• “Rajya Sabha clears Income-Tax Bill, 2025.” Hindustan Times, August 12, 2025.
• “National Sports Governance Bill, 2025 introduced in Parliament.” The Indian Express, August 11, 2025.
• “Anti-Doping Bill passed in Lok Sabha.” Times of India, August 11, 2025.
• “Opposition protests ‘vote chori’ in Bihar voter lists.” The Statesman, August 11, 2025.
• “Supreme Court orders removal of stray dogs from Delhi-NCR.” India Today, August 12, 2025.
• “Rahul Gandhi slams stray dog order as cruel.” The Times of India, August 12, 2025.
• “BCCI exempted from RTI in Sports Governance Bill.” The Hindu, August 11, 2025.
• “Derek O’Brien calls bill passage ‘murder of Parliament’.” The Indian Express, August 12, 2025.
• “Income-Tax Bill raises privacy concerns with digital access powers.” Mint, August 12, 2025.