Securities Markets Code Bill Tabled in Lok Sabha

On 18 December 2025, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman introduced The Securities Markets Code Bill, 2025 in the Lok Sabha and proposed that it be referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance for detailed examination.

Key Points

Committee Reference: The Finance Minister moved a motion seeking referral of the Bill to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance, which is expected to submit its report by the first day of the next parliamentary session, subject to the Speaker’s decision.
Objective of the Bill: The proposed legislation aims to consolidate and simplify India’s securities market laws into a single, rationalised legal framework.
Background Announcement: The plan to merge multiple securities-related laws was first announced during the Union Budget 2021–22, presented by the Finance Minister in Parliament.
Acts to Be Merged: The Bill seeks to subsume four major laws—the SEBI Act, 1992, the Depositories Act, 1996, the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1956, and the Government Securities Act, 2007.
Regulatory Clarity: Consolidation of these laws is intended to reduce overlaps, remove inconsistencies and bring greater clarity and consistency to securities market regulation.