Parliament Winter Session

Parliament attack: Delhi L-G sanctions prosecution for 6 accused under UAPA

The attack took place on December 13, when the House proceedings were on

Parliament breach case: Accused Manoranjan, Sagar Sharma undergo Narco test

Delhi Police suspects that Manoranjan D was the key mastermind of the conspiracy. It was on his request that Sagar Sharma breached Parliament security with him

Privileges Panel of Rajya Sabha to meet on January 9, hear 11 suspended MPs

The MPs will continue to remain suspended until their case is considered by the House after receiving the report of the Privileges Committee

President Murmu grants assent to Bill for appointment of CEC, ECs

President Droupadi Murmu has given her assent to a bill that seeks to put in place a mechanism for the appointment of Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners, according to a government notification issued Friday. The Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Bill, 2023, has provisions to set up a search committee chaired by the law minister and two other persons not below the rank of secretary, to prepare a panel of five persons for consideration of the selection committee for appointment as CEC or ECs. The bill also has provisions for a Selection Committee, chaired by the prime minister, leader of the opposition and a Union minister, to make recommendations to the President for appointment of CEC and other ECs. The President also granted assent to the Press and Registration of Periodicals Bill, to replace a British-era law governing the publishing industry and simplify the process of ...

Parl security breach: Delhi Police takes accused to India Gate, Sadar Bazar

The Delhi Police Special Cell took the Parliament security breach accused to places where they assembled and the shop from where they bought flags before the security breach on December 13, police sources said. According to sources, Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D, who had entered the parliament, were on Wednesday taken to Sadar Bazar where they bought Indian flags and India Gate where they assembled before entering the Parliament. The accused had distributed the flags and smoke canisters at India Gate before the parliament, a source said. The two were also taken to the Maharani Bagh area in New Friends colony where they had held a meeting to discuss their plan, the person said. An official privy to the investigation said that the accused were being taken to these places to establish the sequence of events that culminated with the Parliament security breach. The Delhi Police has arrested six people - Sagar Sharma, Manoranjan D, Neelam, Amol Shinde, Lalit Jha, and Mahesh Kumawat for

Lok Sabha breach: Accused Neelam Azad moves HC, calls police remand illegal

Neelam Azad, an accused arrested in the December 13 Parliament security breach case, Wednesday approached the Delhi High Court alleging her police remand was illegal as she was not allowed to consult a legal practitioner of her choice to defend her during the trial court proceedings. In her petition seeking a writ of habeas corpus directing her production before the high court as well as an order to "set her at liberty", Azad said not allowing her to consult a lawyer of her choice amounted to violation of her fundamental right guaranteed under the Constitution, making the remand order unlawful. The trial court has remanded her in police custody till January 5. The matter is likely to be mentioned for urgent hearing before a vacation bench of the high court on Thursday. Under Indian laws, a detainee or a person on their behalf can file a habeas corpus petition in a high court or the Supreme Court for their production if they feel they have been detained illegally. Upon production, if

Year in review: How India's political landscape transformed in 2023

With the end of another year, we take a look at the biggest headlines and stories from Indian politics that defined 2023

Dhankhar-Kharge letter war: MPs suspension premeditated, alleges Cong chief

It was the mass suspension of MPs that was "premeditated" and "weaponised" by the ruling party to sabotage Parliamentary practices, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge alleged on Saturday, hitting back at Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar. Kharge was replying to a second letter on the disruption of parliamentary proceedings and the suspension of MPs by Vice President Dhankhar, who had alleged that the disorder by the Opposition in the House was deliberate and part of a strategy. In his letter on Saturday, Dhankar had also said, "We need to move ahead", and invited the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha for an interaction on December 25 "or a time of your convenience" at his official residence. The Congress president, in his reply, said that he agrees with the Chairman that they need to move ahead but stressed that the "answer may not lie in a discussion in the Chairman's chambers, if the government is not keen on running the House". The Congress chief said he is currently out of

New criminal laws 90% same, more rigorous than 'colonial' ones: Kapil Sibal

The former Union Minister said that the new laws are more rigorous than the 'colonial' ones and they don't have any 'Indian-ness' in them

People to decide whether I'm patriot or traitor: Simha on security breach

BJP Lok Sabha member Pratap Simha on Sunday speaking on the Parliament security breach case said people will ultimately decide whether he was a patriot or a traitor, during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Not wanting to divulge anything regarding the incident and the probe, he said, will leave it to the gods and his reader fans to decide on the alleged "traitor" allegations made against him. The protesters who had jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber on December 13 and set off smoke canisters, had entered Parliament on passes issued on the recommendation of Simha's office. "Whether Pratap Simha is a traitor or a patriot -- mother Goddess Chamundeshwari sitting on the hills of Mysuru, mother Goddess Cauvery who is sitting on Brahmagiri, my reader fans across Karnataka who have been reading my writings for the last twenty years, and people of Mysuru and Kodgu who have seen my work for 9.5 years and my conduct on issues related country, dharma and nationalism -- will give their verdict through

Only 16 of 172 Bills in Lok Sabha had over 30 MPs present in debate: Report

Half of the bills passed by the 17th Lok Sabha so far were discussed for less than two hours each and only 16 per cent of them were referred to parliamentary standing committees, data compiled by think tank PRS Legislative Research shows. According to an analysis by PRS Legislative Research, 172 bills were discussed and passed during the term of 17th Lok Sabha, of which 86 bills in the Lok Sabha and 103 bills in the Rajya Sabha were discussed for less than two hours each. Similarly, of the 172 bills, only 16 bills in the Lok Sabha and 11 in the Rajya Sabha saw more than 30 members taking part in the debate. The report came a day after the conclusion of the Winter session - the last full-fledged session of the 17th Lok Sabha. It stated that no bills were referred to House committees in the Winter session. The proportion of bills referred to committees has decreased from 71 per cent during the 15th Lok Sabha and 25 per cent in the 16th Lok Sabha to 16 per cent during the 17th Lok ...

Parliament security breach: Manoranjan D maybe mastermind, suspects police

The Delhi Police Special Cell suspects Manoranjan D one of the six people arrested in the Parliament security breach - to be the mastermind behind the conspiracy, hatched to send a message to the ruling government by doing "something big," said a source privy to the probe. According to police, Lalit Jha, another accused, has revealed to the interrogators that Manoranjan was the one who motivated other members to do something big and planned the breach in the parliament. However, his, Jha's, role was only to destroy the evidence after the act. Manoranjan was arrested along with Sagar from inside the parliament on December 13. Both had jumped into the well of the Lok Sabha and opened yellow colour canisters hidden in their shoes. Manoranjan, a native of Mysore, had quit engineering to engage in social work. Though he was unemployed, he managed to visit Cambodia, the source said. Jha was produced before the court on Friday from where he was sent to 14 days of police custody. Police t

INDIA bloc hits the streets nationwide against MPs' suspension. Details

MPs suspension from Parliament: A total of 146 MPs were suspended across the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha this session, the highest in Indian Parliamentary history

Oppn MPs requested suspension after some MPs were suspended: Pralhad Joshi

Slamming the opposition over disruptions during Winter Session, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi on Friday said the government was not keen to suspend MPs from Lok Sabha, but opposition members came with requests for suspension after action was taken against some of their colleagues. Addressing a press conference here, Joshi also said the opposition was free to move court against the three new criminal laws if they felt something was wrong with the draft legislations approved by both the Houses of Parliament. "We did not want to suspend MPs, we requested them. But after we suspended a few MPs, several of their colleagues came with requests to us seeking suspension. This is the level the Congress stoops to," said Joshi, flanked by Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal. Joshi said the government's floor managers had told the opposition MPs that action was taken against those indulging in indiscipline by bringing placards to the House. "They told us

Parl security breach case: Court extends custodial remand of Lalit Jha

The Patiala House Court of Delhi on Friday extended the custodial remand of accused Lalit Jha by a further 14 days in the Parliament security breach case

INDIA bloc leaders stage protest against bulk suspension of MPs from Parl

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, participating in the protest, said that the protest is send a message among people that whatever is happening is 'wrong for the future of the country'

RS chairman Dhankhar writes to LoP Kharge, says disruptions unfortunate

Rendering the House dysfunctional by making a demand to the Chair that cannot be acceded is unfortunate and against public interest, Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar is learnt to have said in a letter to Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge. Dhankhar has written to Kharge stating that the Congress leader's refusal to meet him during the Winter session of Parliament was not in sync with parliamentary practices and has also sought an interaction with him, sources said on Friday. This comes a day after the Rajya Sabha was adjourned sine die on Thursday, a day ahead of schedule. The Upper House witnessed repeated protests by opposition MPs who were demanding a discussion on the December 13 Parliament security breach and a statement by Home Minister Amit Shah on the issue. The protests led to the suspension of 46 MPs from the House for the session. A breach of privilege notice was moved against Trinamool Congress MP Derek O'Brien and the matter was referred to the Privileges ...

INDIA bloc leaders to protest against suspension of MPs from Parliament

Earlier, Shashi Tharoor said that the moment has come to start writing 'obituaries for the Parliamentary democracy' in our country

Suspension of so many Oppn MPs unfortunate in Parliament's history: Gehlot

Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday said the suspension of a large number of opposition members from both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha marked an unfortunate incident in the history of Parliament. "It is the responsibility of the Speaker to conduct the Lok Sabha fairly. If the Speaker had directed the Home Minister to give a statement in the House in a serious matter of lapse in the security of Parliament, then this matter would have ended and there would not have been so much uproar," the veteran Congress leader said on X. He added that the absence of a statement from the Centre on the issue and the suspension of opposition MPs instead of holding a discussion on the matter was an "unfortunate incident in the history of Parliament". The Rajasthan unit of the Congress will protest across the state on Friday against the suspension of the opposition MPs from Parliament.

164 planes lying idle at 15 airports in country, govt shares data in LS

As many as 164 planes are lying idle at 15 airports in the country, the government said on Thursday. Out of the total, the highest number of grounded aircraft is at Delhi airport at 64, followed by Bengaluru (27), Mumbai (24) and Chennai (20). As per data shared by civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia in a written reply to Lok Sabha, 164 aircraft are lying idle at 15 airports. The airports are Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Cochin, Delhi, Goa (Mopa), Hyderabad, Jaipur, Juhu, Kolkata, Kannur, Mumbai, Nagpur and Raipur. The grounded aircraft include those of IndiGo, SpiceJet, Go First, Air India, Zoom Air and Alliance Air. At the Delhi airport, IndiGo's 24 aircraft and Go First's 23 planes are lying idle. Other carriers whose planes are grounded there are SpiceJet (6), Air India (2), Zoom Air (5), Jet Airways (3) and Alliance Air (1). According to the data, 17 planes of IndiGo, nine aircraft of Go First and one plane of SpiceJet are lying idle at the Bengaluru