Gujarat | No watchman for the new night bazaar

Gujarat is getting a night life—just not the kind people may desire, nor one that brings the dawn of good governance much closer. But the Gujarat Ease of Doing Business Bill, 2026, passed in mid-September, offers the state bragging rights of another sort. Prima facie, it has a feelgood vibe: all shops, restaurants and commercial establishments will be allowed to stay open 24x7. Administratively, too, it’s reformist in tenor: claiming to eliminate ‘Inspector Raj’, embodying PM Narendra Modi’s credo of minimum government, maximum governance.