Parliament Winter session: 25 pending, 14 new bills to be placed

As many as 25 pending bills and 14 new ones, including a bill providing Muslim women the right to seek maintenance in case of triple talaq, are expected to be placed in the winter session of parliament.

The winter session, beginning from December 15, will have 14 sittings. The session will come to an end on January 5.

According to a list compiled by think-tank PRS Legislative Research, some of the bills listed for consideration and passage at the session include Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2016, Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill, 2013 and Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2016.

The surrogacy bill prohibits commercial surrogacy and allows its altruistic form. It also specifies criteria for the intending couple and a surrogate mother, the think-tank said.

Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill, 2013 proposes to make giving bribe an offence and modifies the definition of 'taking a bribe' and requires prior sanction to investigate officials, it said.

The transgender bill, on the other hand, defines a transgender person, prohibits discrimination against them and prescribes penalties for certain offences.

The new bills listed for introduction and passage include Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Bill, 2017, Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriages) Bill, 2017 and Goods and Services Tax (Compensation to States_Amendment Bill), 2017.

The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriages) Bill gives women from the community the right to seek maintenance from their husbands in case of triple talaq, while the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Bill, 2017 prohibits certain persons, including promoters of defaulter companies, from submitting a resolution plan, the PRS added.