Assembly Secretariat finalizes draft rules, circulates among Rules Panel members

Srinagar: Legislative Assembly has prepared draft rules for the House and circulated them among all eight members of the Rules Committee for their consideration and adopting them, if there is a consensus among majority of members, in next meeting of the Committee which has been called on February 4 by Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather, who is also ex-officio chairman of the Panel.

The draft rules have been prepared by the Assembly Secretariat under guidance of the Speaker in over 20 days long exercise and circulated among the members for studying them and giving their opinion in the meeting called on February 4.

The draft rules, as per Daily Excelsior, dwelt on all issues of the Legislative Assembly of a Union Territory.

Headed by Rather, the Rules Committee comprised Mubarak Gul, ex-Speaker, Saifullah Mir, former Law Minister, Hasnain Masoodi, ex-MP and Retired High Court Judge, all from National Conference, Pawan Kumar Gupta, former Minister and Ranbir Singh Pathania, both BJP, MY Tarigami (CPM), Nizam-ud-Din Bhat (Congress) and Muzaffar Iqbal Khan (Independent-Thannamandi). Barring two BJP Members, all others are part of the NC alliance.

The draft rules have deleted all references to the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir, Jammu and Kashmir State, Legislative Council, Joint Select Committee etc. The Constitution of J&K and J&K as State don’t exist now. As the Council (the Upper House) has been dissolved, the Joint Select Committee can’t be set up.

The draft rules dwelt in detail on all the issues of Question Hour, Government business including the bills, private member’s bills and resolutions, Issues of importance like Call Attention Notices etc to be asked by the Members and other business. It mentioned in detail on timing for discussion on Motion of Thanks on the address given by the Lieutenant Governor, presentation of budget followed by debate.

The questions on Home Department, law and order, Jammu and Kashmir and All India Services, as reported by Daily Excelsior, can’t be asked by the MLAs as these subjects pertained to the Union Home Ministry and the Lieutenant Governor. Only those bills and resolutions can be introduced which have nod to the Lieutenant Governor.

Sources said if there is consensus among the majority of members in the February 4 meeting, the draft rules will be adopted and sent to the Lieutenant Governor for approval. If the rules are given nod by the LG, the budget session of the Legislature beginning March 3 will run on the basis of new rules. However, a detailed set of rules can be framed later by the Legislative Assembly, if required.

As per Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act 2019, the Assembly can run on the basis of rules which existed when J&K was a State till new rules were drafted. The first session of the J&K UT Legislature from November 4-8 was held on the basis of existing rules.

The budget session of the Legislature will start on March 3 is expected to last three weeks. LG Manoj Sinha will address the Legislature on Day one while Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who holds charge of the Finance Department, will present the first budget of Jammu and Kashmir as the Union Territory.

The framing of ‘Business Rules’ for the House was necessitated after the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir was divested of its special status under Article 370 and was divided into two Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh.

Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act 2019 was passed on August 5, 2019 by the Parliament in which among other subjects the Legislative Assembly was allowed to function on existing Rules till new ‘Business Rules’ are framed for running the House after the State was converted into the UT.

The Legislative Assembly Secretariat today sought 10 questions each in starred and un-starred categories and three private member’s bills from the MLAs for a budget session of the Legislature starting March 3.

The MLAs have been asked to submit these questions and bills up to February 10. The Assembly Secretariat has sought four private member resolutions from the MLAs till February 16.