New Delhi, 03 August (H.S.):

Amid persistent protests by the Opposition over the Ram Temple offering controversy and the NEET question paper leak issue, two Bills—the Indian Statistical Institute Bill, 2026, and the Bankers' Books Evidence Bill, 2026—were introduced in the Lok Sabha on Monday, the 11th day of the Monsoon Session of Parliament. However, continuous sloganeering and demonstrations by Opposition members in the Well of the House disrupted proceedings, forcing the Chair to adjourn the House till 2:00 p.m.

The House reconvened at 12:00 noon under the chairmanship of Presiding Officer Krishna Prasad Tenneti, but proceedings could not continue due to continued sloganeering and protests by Opposition members who gathered in the Well of the House. The House was subsequently adjourned till 2:00 p.m. At the outset, the Presiding Officer informed the House that the Speaker had not admitted any of the adjournment motions submitted by members. He then invited the concerned ministers to lay replies to questions listed for the Question Hour on the Table of the House.

During the Question Hour, Union Minister for Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Jayant Chaudhhary, Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Kirti Vardhan Singh, Minister of State for Labour and Employment Shobha Karandlaje, Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Raksha Nikhil Khadse, and Minister of State for Corporate Affairs Harsh Malhotra laid replies to questions relating to their respective ministries before the House.

Thereafter, BJP MP Sudhir Gupta from Mandsaur presented the Hindi and English versions of the report and recommendations of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Corporate Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026. Following this, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Statistics and Programme Implementation Rao Inderjit Singh introduced the Indian Statistical Institute Bill, 2026, in the Lok Sabha. Throughout the proceedings, Opposition members continued raising slogans, with several entering the Well of the House. The Presiding Officer repeatedly appealed to them to maintain order and allow the House to function.

The Presiding Officer then informed the House that notices opposing the introduction of the Bankers' Books Evidence Bill, 2026, had been submitted under Rule 72 of the Rules of Procedure by MPs Advocate Gowaal Kagada Padavi from Nandurbar (Maharashtra), D.M. Kathir Anand from Vellore (Tamil Nadu), Pratima Mondal from Jaynagar (West Bengal), Prof. Sougata Roy from Dum Dum (West Bengal), Vishaldada Prakashbapu Patil from Sangli (Maharashtra), Manish Tewari from Chandigarh, and Dr. T. Sumathy alias Thamizhachi Thangapandian from Chennai South (Tamil Nadu). The Chair sought the sense of the House on these notices, but they were rejected, allowing the Bill to proceed to the next stage.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman subsequently introduced the Bankers' Books Evidence Bill, 2026. She stated that the legislation seeks to modernise the legal framework governing evidence relating to bankers' records in line with the evolving digital banking ecosystem and to update the relevant statutory provisions. Before discussion on the Bill could begin, D.M. Kathir Anand and Manish Tewari again voiced their opposition, but their notices opposing the Bill were also rejected by the House.

Throughout the proceedings, Opposition members continued raising slogans over the Ram Temple offering controversy and the NEET question paper leak issue. Presiding Officer Krishna Prasad Tenneti repeatedly urged members to allow the House to function smoothly. However, with disruptions continuing and order failing to be restored, he adjourned the Lok Sabha till 2:00 p.m.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar