Rule 267 row derails Rajya Sabha proceedings again; adjourned till 2 P.M.

New Delhi, Aug 11 The Rajya Sabha witnessed yet another disruption as Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh declined to admit 29 notices submitted under Rule 267, prompting vociferous protests from Opposition members and forcing an adjournment till 2 P.M. on Monday.

Citing procedural constraints and parliamentary precedents, Singh informed the House that the notices received were not in conformity with Rule 267, which permits suspension of regular business to discuss matters of urgent public importance.

Of the 29 notices, 11 do not contain a motion framed in proper terms to elicit a decision of the House. The remaining 18 pertain to sub-judice matters and also lack a properly-worded motion, he said.

Reiterating his earlier ruling from August 5, Singh emphasised that there are bars on sub-judice issues and they cannot be debated in Parliament to avoid undue influence on judicial proceedings.

He also invoked Rule 238(5), which bars discussion on persons in high authority unless raised through a substantive motion.

“Rule 267 is reserved for issues of the rarest of rare nature,” he said and told the the House that none of the notices meet this threshold.

Responding to certain objections of members over his previous observations on Rule 267, Singh clarified that his remarks on August 8 were not intended to offend any member.

“I leave it to the wisdom of the House to uphold the dignity of parliamentary procedure and ensure that precious time is not lost,” he said.

As members erupted in protest, shouting slogans and wearing badges, Singh lamented the loss of legislative productivity.

“We had the opportunity to take up 200 questions this session, but only 14 could be addressed. We have lost 62 hours to disruptions,” he noted, before adjourning the House.

Prior to the adjournment, several ministers laid papers on behalf of their respective ministries, including Power, Mines, Defence, Housing and Urban Affairs, Jal Shakti, Civil Aviation, and Minority Affairs.

Notable reports tabled included; the Eleventh Report of the Committee on Ethics on simplifying asset declaration formats, the 362nd Report on implementation of the National Education Policy, 2020 in higher education, reports on the evolving role of the Competition Commission, India’s Indian Ocean strategy, and departmental reviews on Railways, Rural Development, Social Justice, Water Resources, and Energy.

Statements were also made by V Somanna, Satish Chandra Dubey, Raj Bhushan Choudhary, and Murlidhar Mohol, among others.

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