The Lok Sabha's monsoon session concluded on Thursday, marked by relentless opposition protests over critical issues like the NEET paper leak and police action on students, yet saw the passage of several key bills without extensive debate. Home Minister Amit Shah expressed readiness to debate the student protest issue, urging the speaker to allocate time.
Will the current session of the Lok Sabha, which is witnessing turmoil due to Bhartiya Janta Party's demand for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's resignation over the Coalgate, get adjourned sine die? As the deadlock between the United Progressive Alliance and BJP continues, the adjournment of the Lok Sabha sine die seems to be the only option left, notes Sheela Bhatt.
Amidst opposition protests, the Lok Sabha has successfully passed a crucial bill to expand the Supreme Court's judicial strength from 34 to 38 judges.
Home Minister Amit Shah has offered to hold a comprehensive debate in Parliament on student protests and other pressing issues, but Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has swiftly rejected the proposal, demanding accountability for actions against students.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju has accused the Opposition of setting pre-conditions for a debate on the critical NEET paper leak issue, stating that the government is ready for a comprehensive discussion.
When the House reassembled at noon after the first adjournment, members of Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Janata Dal-United and Lok Janshakti Party rushed menacingly to the well shouting 'marshal bulao' (call the marshals), prompting Speaker Meira Kumar to immediately adjourn the House till 1400 hours.
The Indian government has expressed willingness to hold a detailed discussion in the Lok Sabha regarding the NEET paper leak issue, while cautioning against street protests. The opposition, however, is demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and has staged protests, including wearing black clothes in Parliament, highlighting the widespread concern among students.
The Congress party has issued a whip to its MPs in both the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha, mandating their presence from August 10-12 for discussions on "very important" issues. This directive comes amidst reports of potential debates on the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, and a Constitution Amendment Bill concerning delimitation, though the government's official business list did not explicitly mention these.
Major bills, including those on women's reservation, delimitation, and the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), face an uncertain future in the ongoing Monsoon session of Parliament due to persistent opposition protests and a lack of consensus.
The Left and the NDA clashed over the latter's charges against the Speaker.
Announcing this, Speaker Somnath Chatterjee thanked the members for their cooperation in passing the Finance Bill 2008, but regretted that 28 hours and 30 minutes were lost due to interruptions and forced adjournments. However, he also noted that the House sat for an extra 36 hours and 38 minutes to compensate for the loss.
Immediately after the House met, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla paid tributes to sitting MPs Rattan Lal Kataria and Balubhau alias Suresh Narayan Dhanorkar. He also said that 11 former members passed away in the last few months and read out their names.
The month-long winter session of the Lok Sabha, which witnessed turmoil on several issues including FDI in retail, was adjourned sine die on Thursday
Lok Sabha proceedings were washed out for the second consecutive day on Wednesday after the House was repeatedly adjourned due to protests by opposition members who were demanding a separate discussion on the farm laws issue.
Both Houses of Parliament were adjourned sine die, concluding a Budget session marked by the passage of key legislations and the defeat of a Constitution amendment bill on women's reservation. The session saw frequent opposition protests and discussions on various issues, including the West Asia conflict.
Parliament proceedings were stalled for the fourth consecutive day on Thursday as loud protests by an unrelenting opposition over the NEET paper leak and demand for Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation reverberated in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, leading to adjournment of the two Houses for the day without transacting any business.
Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra's reference to the death of judge B H Loya 'long before his time' created uproar in Lok Sabha on Friday as Union minister Kiren Rijiju accused her of raising a matter settled by the Supreme Court, and warned of 'appropriate parliamentary action'.
India's Monsoon Session of Parliament concluded with significantly low productivity, marked by frequent disruptions and protests from the Opposition, primarily the Congress, leading to minimal debate on key legislation.
Kiren Rijiju has strongly criticised the Congress for allegedly 'unfairly disrupting' the recent monsoon session.
Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned for the day on Thursday after passage of two bills amid continuous protests by opposition members over the violence in Manipur.
More than five questions and supplementaries, mostly related to agriculture and horticulture, were taken up before the proceedings were first adjourned till noon. The Question Hour went on for nearly 40 minutes.
Amidst widespread student protests over the NEET paper leak, the Indian government has introduced the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, in the Lok Sabha. The bill proposes significantly stricter punishments, including jail terms of up to 10 years and fines of up to Rs 50 lakh for individuals involved in paper leaks, and up to Rs 10 crore for organised crimes, aiming to enhance transparency and fairness in public examinations.
When the House met on Wednesday morning, Speaker Om Birla told the protesting members that he would give them an opportunity to raise the issues during the Zero Hour.
Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 12 noon on Friday after opposition members raised slogans demanding the resignation of Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and protesting against the India-US interim trade agreement.
'With one more year remaining in the term, and 58 average sitting days a year, the 17th Lok Sabha is unlikely to sit for more than 331 days.' 'This could make it the shortest full-term Lok Sabha since 1952.'
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Wednesday ordered a high-level inquiry into the incident of two persons jumping into the house chamber from the public gallery with smoke canisters.
Parliament has passed The Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026, making any insult to the national song Vande Mataram a criminal offence, punishable with imprisonment up to three years or a fine.
Vice Chairman Harivansh regretted that 78 hours of business were lost due to disruptions and that the House functioned for only 27 hours.
Supreme Court Justice V Mohana recused herself from a 2016 Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking directions for the speedy disposal of criminal cases against lawmakers. This development follows a report by amicus curiae Vijay Hansaria, which revealed over 4,000 pending criminal cases against Members of Parliament (MPs) and Members of Legislative Assemblies (MLAs), including chief ministers from 14 states. The Supreme Court has previously issued directives to high courts to establish special benches to monitor and fast-track these trials.
Oppn members went into the area of treasury benches carrying a black banner, which demanded Shah's resignation, as Speaker Om Birla continued with proceedings of the House.
In a major security breach on the anniversary of the deadly 2001 Parliament terror attack, two persons on Wednesday jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the visitors' gallery, shouted slogans and released yellow smoke from canisters that triggered panic and chaos in the House.
Birla said members holding placards, raising slogans in the Well of LS was not in accordance with its traditions.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin celebrated the defeat of the Constitution Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha, emphasising the unity of the south and the triumph of democracy. The bill aimed to implement reservation for women in legislatures in 2029 and increase Lok Sabha seats. Stalin criticised the bill as weakening the balance of the union and asserted Tamil Nadu's commitment to justice, dignity, and federalism.
The Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day following a dispute between the government and the opposition regarding Rahul Gandhi's request to speak before the Union Budget discussion commenced.
The Congress on Thursday accused Bharatiya Janata Party MPs of subjecting Sonia Gandhi to "brutal heckling, verbal assault and physical intimidation", and demanded an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Former India cricketer Yuvraj Singh has appealed for peace and dialogue amid the nationwide protests over the alleged NEET-UG paper leak, urging people to work towards an amicable solution.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called upon citizens to celebrate Independence Day with honour and pride, urging them to take a pledge for a developed India. This appeal comes amidst parliamentary sessions marked by protests from both ruling and opposition alliances.
Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi launched a scathing attack on Home Minister Amit Shah, alleging he authorised police excesses against student protesters and was 'scared' to face Parliament. Gandhi also accused the RSS of controlling India's education system and promoting 'andhbhakts'.
According to data collated by think-tank PRS Legislative Research, productivity of Parliament during the session was the 'third lowest' in the 16th Lok Sabha.
The House was adjourned seconds after convening amid ruckus over various issues, and Rahul Gandhi left Parliament soon after that.
