Page 15 - Parliament

Congress to hold strategy meet on July 15 for upcoming Parliament session

Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi has convened a meeting of top party leaders on July 15 to finalise strategy for the upcoming Monsoon session of Parliament, which is expected to be stormy with the opposition raring to raise several issues like EC's special intensive revision in Bihar and Operation Sindoor. Sources said the Parliamentary strategy group meeting would be attended by the Leaders of Opposition in Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi, besides the deputy leaders in both houses and the chief whips and whips of the party. The meeting will be chaired by Sonia Gandhi at her 10 Janpath residence and will also be attended by some senior leaders who are part of the strategy group. The government has announced that the Monsoon session of Parliament will begin on July 21 and continue till August 21, a week longer than planned earlier, signalling a heavy legislative agenda. The sources said the Congress is likely to take up the issues

Govt begins collecting signatures of MPs for motion to remove Justice Varma

The government has begun collecting signatures of MPs to move a motion in Parliament to remove Justice Yshwant Varma, who is embroiled in a row following the discovery of burnt wads of currency at his residence after a fire incident. Sources said signatures of many MPs from the Lok Sabha have been collected for the impeachment exercise, an indication that the motion may be moved in the Lower House. A fire incident at Varma's residence in the national capital in March this year, when he was a judge at the Delhi High Court, had led to the discovery of sacks of cash in the outhouse. He was subsequently repatriated to the Allahabad High Court, and an in-house probe ordered by then-Supreme Court Chief Justice Sanjeev Khanna had indicted him. Though Varma has denied any wrongdoing, the enquiry panel had concluded Varma and his family members had covert or active control over the storeroom, where the cash was discovered, proving his misconduct serious enough to seek his removal. After he

Standing Committee on Home Affairs to meet today, discuss cybercrime

The panel will meet on the subject of 'Cyber Crime - ramifications, protection and prevention' and hear the views of ministries and organisations. The Committee will again meet on Friday

Audit entire aircraft fleet of all carriers: House panel to DGCA

A parliamentary panel has asked the DGCA to carry out a comprehensive safety audit of all domestic airlines' fleets and address concerns over surge pricing and uniformity in airport user charges

Former MP and father of MoS Kirti Vardhan Singh passes away at 87

Kunwar Anand Singh, former member of Parliament from Gonda and father of Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh, passed away in Lucknow at the age of 87. According to family sources, Singh's health suddenly deteriorated at his residence and he was rushed to a hospital, where he breathed his last on Saturday night. Several political leaders, including Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, expressed condolences on his demise. Born on January 4, 1939, Singh hailed from the erstwhile Mankapur royal family. He was the son of Raja Raghvendra Pratap Singh, who had served as an MLA from the Swatantra Party. After completing his early education at Colvin Taluqedar College in Lucknow, he pursued a BSc in Agriculture from the Agriculture Institute in Allahabad (now Prayagraj). He subsequently managed agricultural affairs of his estate. Anand Singh was married to Veena Singh, daughter of former Rajya Sabha MP and Barabanki MLA Bindumati Devi. The couple had three ...

Urban local bodies should act like Parliament to resolve issues: LS Speaker

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday said urban local bodies (ULBs) should function on the lines of Parliament with regular Question Hour and Zero Hour to raise issues concerning citizens. He was addressing the first National Level Conference of Urban Local Bodies in States and Union Territories. "I am pained to hear about meetings of ULBs getting adjourned amid pandemonium and key agenda such as budget getting approved without any discussion," Birla said. ULBs should also function on the lines of the Lok Sabha and state assemblies and find solutions to civic issues through regular debate and discussion in Question Hour and Zero Hour, he said. Birla also said parliamentary proceedings, which were drowned in ruckus in the earlier Lok Sabhas, were witnessing fewer disruptions in the current Lok Sabha due to the efforts of leaders of all political parties. "Changes were witnessed in the 18th Lok Sabha, when political parties agreed to allow the House to function to raise issues of

Parliament is not museum: Cong's Manickam Tagore slams govt over nameplate

The upcoming Monsoon session will be the first Parliament session following Operation Sindoor, which was launched by India on May 7 in response to a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam

Parliament's Monsoon session to be held from July 21 to Aug 21: Rijiju

The Monsoon session of Parliament will begin on July 21 and continue till August 21, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said on Wednesday. "The Hon'ble President of India has approved the proposal of the Government to convene the Monsoon Session of Parliament from 21st July to 21st August, 2025. In view of the Independence Day celebrations, there will be no sittings on the 13th and 14th of August," Rijiju said in a post on X. Earlier, the session was to conclude on August 12, but now it has been extended by a week.

Delhi HC grants relief to 2 accused in Parliament security breach case

The Delhi High Court today granted bail to Neelam Azad and Mahesh Kumawat on a ₹50,000 bond and two sureties each, after they challenged a trial court order that had earlier denied them bail

RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra to appear before House panel on July 10

RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra and top bank officials to appear before finance panel on July 10 as part of its ongoing review of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code

Today's political atmosphere not favourable for Indian democracy: Dhankhar

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday expressed concern over the current political scenario in the country, saying today's political atmosphere is not favourable for Indian democracy and social health. Speaking at 'Sneh Milan Samaroh' organised by the Rajasthan Pragatisheel Manch at the Constitution Club in Jaipur, Dhankhar said the intensity and tone of political exchanges today were detrimental to the democratic and social fabric of the nation. The vice president said he does not come under pressure and does not pressure anyone. "The environment and temperature of politics today are neither suitable for our democracy nor in tune with our ancient civilisational values. Political rivals are not enemies. Enemies may exist across borders but there should be none within the country," the vice president said. He called for greater decorum in legislative conduct, cautioning that public disenchantment with the conduct of lawmakers inside legislatures could erode faith in democratic .

Air India crash probe: India permits ICAO expert to join as observer

India opens its Air India crash investigation to a UN aviation expert as an observer, while Parliament seeks answers from Boeing and aviation officials over safety concerns

CJI Gavai backs supremacy of Constitution over three wings of democracy

Chief Justice B R Gavai said the legislature, executive, and judiciary all work under the Constitution-not above it-as debate brews over Parliament's powers and the judiciary's role in lawmaking

Israeli PM Netanyahu survives opposition bid to dissolve parliament

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government survived an attempt to dissolve parliament early Thursday morning, with most of his ultra-Orthodox coalition partners joining him in voting against a bill that would have forced them to register for military service while the country is at war. The vote was the most serious challenge to Netanyahu's government since Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack, the biggest security failure in Israel's history and the trigger for the ongoing war in Gaza. The bill's failure means that no other bill to dissolve Knesset can be submitted for at least six months, shoring up Netanyahu's embattled coalition. The ultra-Orthodox parties are furious that the government has failed to pass a law exempting their community from mandatory military service. The issue has long divided the Jewish Israeli public, especially during the 20-month war in the Gaza Strip. Israel's opposition had hoped that the public anger over the exemptions would help topple the ...

Parliament Monsoon session to begin July 21, first since Pahalgam attack

Monsoon Session from July 21 to August 12 set to address Operation Sindoor, border tensions, and an impeachment motion against Justice Yashwant Varma

Parliamentary panel to review IBC and propose reforms for efficiency

The Centre is expected to table an amendment Bill in the monsoon session as a parliamentary panel examines the Code amid concerns flagged by the Supreme Court

Govt to launch Umeed portal on June 6 to digitise, regulate Waqf properties

The Centre will launch the 'Umeed' portal on June 6 to register and manage Waqf properties, aiming for transparency, better regulation, and digital tracking across Indian states

Vikram Misri briefs Parliament on Pahalgam attack & ceasefire claim | Op Sindoor | India-Pakistan

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri briefed MPs on the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor on May 19. Watch the video to know the key highlights.

How a Maori haka protest brought New Zealand's Parliament to a halt

A haka performed by Maori MPs in protest of a proposed bill led to suspended Parliament proceedings in New Zealand and disciplinary action against the lawmakers

India, Pak conflict was always in conventional domain: Misri to Parl panel

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri told a parliamentary committee on Monday that the conflict between India and Pakistan was always in the conventional domain, and there was no nuclear signalling by the neighbouring country, sources said. The sources said Misri reiterated the government's stand that the decision to stop military actions was taken at a bilateral level, as some opposition members questioned US President Donald Trump's repeated assertions about his administration's role in stopping the conflict. Some MPs, the sources said, asked if Pakistan used Chinese platforms in the conflict. Misri said it did not matter as India hammered Pakistani air bases. The meeting of Parliament's Standing Committee on External Affairs, chaired by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, was attended by a number of lawmakers, including the TMC's Abhishek Banerjee, the Congress' Rajeev Shukla and Deepender Hooda, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, and the BJP's Aparajita Sarangi and Arun Govil. The meeting comes