Page 12 - Parliament

Dhankhar said Parliament supreme, it holds good for Assemblies too: TN CM

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Saturday said that Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar's observation that Parliament is supreme; held good for Legislative Assemblies too, and wondered if governors could assume the role of duly elected governments. Referring to the Vice President's recent remarks in the light of the April 8 Supreme Court verdict in the Tamil Nadu government versus Governor R N Ravi case on the stalling of 10 bills, Stalin said as far as states were concerned the Legislative Assemblies were supreme and not Governors who were mere "rubber stamps' temporarily occupying the gubernatorial posts. "The Vice President has said the Parliament is supreme. That's what we also say. Is the Governor more supreme than the Legislative Assembly? I wish to ask will the Prime Minister remain silent if the President takes over his powers?" Stalin asked at a function organised by educationists and students here to felicitate him "for obtaining a landmark judgment from the Supreme Cour

Canadian prime minister's Liberals fall short of majority in Parliament

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's Liberals celebrated election victory in a stunning turn of fortune but fell short Tuesday of winning an outright majority in Parliament, and the party will have to seek help from other another, smaller party. The vote-counting agency Elections Canada has processed nearly all ballots in what turned out to be a razor-close race that will leave the Liberals three seats short of a majority. Recounts are expected in some districts. Carney's rival, populist Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, was in the lead until US President Donald Trump took aim at Canada with a trade war and threats to annex it as the 51st state. Poilievre not only lost his bid for prime minister Monday but was voted out of the Parliament seat that he held for 20 years. That capped a swift decline in fortunes for the firebrand Poilievre, who a few months ago appeared to be a shoo-in to become Canada's next prime minister and shepherd the Conservatives back into power for the fir

Optimistic about impact of Trump tariffs, RBI tells parliamentary panel

At the panel's meeting, Governor Malhotra and Deputy Governor Rajeshwar Rao were present

Parliament security breach: HC to hear bail plea of accused on May 7

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday said it would hear on May 7 the bail pleas of two accused arrested in the 2023 Parliament security breach case. A bench of Justices Subramonium Prasad and Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar, before whom the bail pleas were listed for hearing on Tuesday, was informed by the prosecutor that an additional solicitor general has to argue on behalf of the prosecution and he was unavailable today. Accepting the request for adjournment on behalf of the prosecution, the court said it would hear on May 7 the bail pleas of Neelam Azad, the sole woman accused in the case, and Mahesh Kumawat. The counsel for Azad opposed the adjournment request saying "it was a delaying tactics" and such a conduct was not good for the country. The court, however, shot back saying, "enough, you have irritated us". Earlier, the high court had asked the police to explain whether carrying or using a smoke canister, which is not lethal, is covered under the stringent Unlawful Activities ...

Rahul Gandhi, Kharge demand special Parliament session over Pahalgam attack

Opposition leaders urge Prime Minister Narendra Modi to convene special Parliament session, call for national unity after Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people

Parliamentary standing committee on defence to meet today at 3 PM

This development comes as Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met Prime Minister Narendra Modi today

Finmin plans to introduce Insurance Amendment Bill during monsoon session

The Insurance Amendment Bill, which proposes 100 per cent FDI in the insurance sector, may be introduced in Parliament in the upcoming monsoon session, sources said. The draft bill is ready and will be placed before Cabinet for its approval soon, sources said, adding, after Cabinet nod the Department of Financial Services under the finance ministry would begin the process for introduction of the Bill in the Parliament. The ministry hopes to table the Bill in Parliament during the upcoming monsoon session, sources said. Monsoon session of Parliament usually commences in July. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in this year's Budget speech proposed to raise the foreign investment limit to 100 per cent from existing 74 per cent in the insurance sector as part of new-generation financial sector reforms. "This enhanced limit will be available for those companies which invest the entire premium in India. The current guardrails and conditionalities associated with foreign investment wil

Sibal urge parties to seek special Parliament session on Pahalgam attack

Independent Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Sunday requested political parties to urge the government to convene a special session of Parliament as early as possible in May in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack. "On 25th of April, I suggested that a special session of Parliament be convened to show the nation's unity in this hour of grief," Sibal said. "I request all political parties to urge the government to convene such a session as early as possible in May," he said. Sibal on Friday had urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to call a special session of Parliament and pass a resolution condemning the Pahalgam terror attack to convey the message to the world that the country is united. Sibal had also suggested to the government to send delegations of the ruling and opposition MPs to various important countries so that diplomatic pressure can be created on Pakistan. Addressing a press conference here, the former Union minister suggested that as the US does with its sanctions, Indi

Over 20 lakh acre waqf land added post 2013 amendment: Centre to SC

The Centre on Friday claimed an addition of 20 lakh acre waqf land post the law's 2013 amendment and flagged "misuse" of waqf provisions to encroach upon private and government properties. In a preliminary affidavit in the Supreme Court, the Centre urged the bench headed by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna to dismiss the pleas challenging the validity of the Waqf (Amendment) Act. The government termed it "really shocking" that after the amendment brought in 2013, there was a 116 per cent rise in the auqaf area. "Right before even Mughal era, pre-independence era and post-independence era, the total of wakfs created was 18,29,163.896 acres of land in India," it claimed. The Centre, however, said, "Shockingly after 2013, the addition of wakf land is 20,92,072.536 acres." The affidavit claimed the figures were uploaded by the respective waqfs and waqf boards voluntarily on Waqf Management System of India portal. The government said it has been the consistent experience that every waqf an

Waqf row: Centre opposes SC blanket stay on law with presumed validity

The Centre on Friday defended the amended Waqf Act in the Supreme Court and opposed any "blanket stay" by the court on a "law having presumption of constitutionality passed by Parliament". In a preliminary 1,332-page affidavit, the Centre urged the top court to dismiss the pleas challenging the validity of Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, pointing out a "mischevious false narrative" surrounding certain provisions. "While this court would examine these challenges when the cases are heard, a blanket stay (or a partial stay) without being aware of the adverse consequences of such an order in a generality of cases (even on members of the Muslim community itself) were the petitions to be unsuccessful, would be uncalled for, especially in the context of the presumption of validity of such laws," it argued. The Centre, as a result, urged a bench headed by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna, set to hear pleas for passing interim directions on May 5, not to stay the law's provisions. The government ...

Parl security breach: Delhi HC to hear accused bail plea on April 29

The Delhi High Court on Thursday set April 29 to hear the bail plea of Neelam Azad, the sole woman accused arrested in the 2023 Parliament security breach case. A bench of Justices Subramonium Prasad and Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar said it would then hear Azad's bail plea along with a similar petition of co-accused Manoranjan D. During a brief hearing, the high court asked the police to explain on the next date whether carrying or using a smoke canister, which is not lethal, covered under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for the offence of terrorist activities. In a major security breach on the anniversary of the 2001 Parliament terror attack, accused Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D allegedly jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the public gallery during zero hour, released yellow gas from canisters and sloganeered before they were overpowered by some MPs. Around the same time, two other accused -- Amol Shinde and Azad -- allegedly sprayed coloured gas from

'Parliament is supreme': VP Dhankhar renews attack on judicial overreach

Amid judiciary vs executive row, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar backs Parliament's primacy, slams SC over contradictory verdicts, and seeks institutional accountability

'Judges cannot be super Parliament': VP Dhankhar on SC Article 142 ruling

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar slams SC for enacting TN Bills via Article 142, says India wasn't meant to be a democracy 'where judges govern'; calls the move a 'nuclear missile' on democracy

Cong seeks special Parliament session, white paper on inflation rise

The Congress on Tuesday targeted the Centre over the hike in excise duty on petrol and diesel and the rise in LPG cylinder prices, demanding the government call a special session of Parliament to discuss inflation and issue a 'white paper' on the matter. Its women's wing chief Alka Lamba urged the government to immediately reduce the prices of LPG, petrol and diesel, bring a strict policy to tame the prices of essential commodities and announce a special relief package for women and the poor. "The government has turned its back on inflation. Their only goal is to fill the coffers of the government and private companies. The common person of the country is bearing the brunt of this inflation," she said at a press conference here. Lamba also compared the prices of petrol, diesel and LPG under the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) dispensation and the Narendra Modi government. "In 2014, the price of petrol was Rs 72 per litre. But today, it is Rs 98 to Rs 100 per litre. In the Congres

Parliamentary panel recommends independent survey, revamp of MGNREGS

An independent survey of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) should be held to assess its effectiveness, a Parliamentary panel has suggested, stressing on revamping the scheme keeping in view emerging challenges. In a report tabled in Parliament during the last week of the recently concluded Budget Session, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development and Panchayati Raj have recommended increasing the number of days of work under the scheme to 150 from the current 100, and also suggested that wages be increased to at least Rs 400 per day. The panel, which has been expressing concern over stagnation in allocation to the flagship rural employment scheme, has also stressed on social audits to ensure its proper implementation. "The committee believes that a comprehensive national survey should be conducted to assess the effectiveness of MGNREGS," the panel headed by Congress MP Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka, said. It said the survey should focu

Governors not above law, must follow parliamentary democracy norms: SC

The Supreme Court has said it is not undermining the office of the governor in fixing a timeline for their actions under Article 200 but they must act with due deference to the settled conventions of parliamentary democracy. A bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan which was critical of the act of Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi sitting over bills passed by the legislative assembly without any action, held that governors act according to Article 200 of the Constitution in a time-bound manner in a period ranging from one to three months. Article 200 empowers the governor to give assent to the bills presented to him, withhold the assent or to reserve it for the consideration of the president The bench said, "We are in no way undermining the office of the Governor. All we say is that the Governor must act with due deference to the settled conventions of parliamentary democracy; respecting the will of the people being expressed through the legislature as-well as the elected governme

Reward lawyers involved in free legal aid: Parliamentary panel tells govt

Absence of structured incentives has deterred widespread participation of lawyers in free legal aid activities, a parliamentary panel has noted while recommending setting up of a "national registry" for pro-bono lawyers, offering recognition and linking their contributions to career advancement opportunities. The parliamentay committee on law and personnel also lamented that para-legal volunteers (PLVs) remain an under-utilised resource despite their potential to connect marginalised communities with essential legal services. In its action taken report on its previous report on 'review of the working of legal aid under the Legal Services Authority Act, the committee said efforts to encourage pro-bono (free legal service offered, especially to the poor) work and enhance lawyer compensation are progressing. "... yet the absence of structured incentives and formal recognition continues to deter widespread participation. Recognising the vital role of effective legal representation, ...

K V Prasad's book explores Parliament's role in shaping foreign policy

K V Prasad's book examines Parliamentary debates on major foreign policy issues in independent India, as well as in the Constituent Assembly, to assess Parliament's role in shaping foreign policy

BJP to launch nationwide campaign to promote new Waqf law benefits

The BJP will launch a fortnight-long public awareness campaign, aimed especially at Muslims, from April 20 to publicise the benefits of the Waqf (Amendment) Act and counter the opposition's criticism of it, with party president JP Nadda and Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju addressing its delegates on Thursday. BJP office-bearers from across the country attended a workshop here as Nadda accused the opposition parties of misleading Muslims over the provisions of the amended law as part of its vote-bank politics. He asserted that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government is determined to make 'pasmanda (backward)' Muslims and women stakeholders in management and welfare programmes of the Waqf with transparent and efficient management of its properties, party sources said. Members of Waqf boards from BJP-ruled states and the party's organisation, including its minority wing, attended the day-long workshop. Nadda said the new law, which came into effect on April 8, would hel

Only those who misunderstood are opposing it: Kiren Rijiju on Waqf Act

Rajya Sabha passed the Bill on Friday with 128 votes in favour and 95 against, while the Lok Sabha cleared the bill after a lengthy debate, with 288 members voting in favour and 232 opposing it