HIGHLIGHTS |Monsoon Session Day 13: RS clears SC judges expansion bill; LS passes Bankers' Books Evidence Bill

Several Opposition MPs, including Rahul Gandhi and Kharge, marched inside the Parliament complex on Wednesday, demanding that Amit Shah make a statement on the police action against CJP protesters

Summary

The Lok Sabha is scheduled to take up the Bankers' Books Evidence Bill, 2026 and the Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026 for consideration and passing on Wednesday. The Rajya Sabha is set to consider the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026, which proposes to increase the strength of judges in the apex court.

Meanwhile, Opposition MPs have submitted adjournment notices in both Houses, seeking discussions on issues including a proposed anti-defection law and alleged police excesses during the Jantar Mantar protest.

Kharge, Rahul Gandhi lead Opposition march over July 20 police action on

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, and other Opposition MPs marched from the Gandhi statue at Prerna Sthal to Makar Dwar in the Parliament complex on Wednesday, protesting the alleged police action against students during the July 20 demonstration. The Opposition demanded that Union Home Minister Amit Shah make a statement on the incident.

Congress President Shri @kharge and LoP Shri @RahulGandhi, along with Opposition MPs, marched from the Gandhi statue at Prerna Sthal to Makar Dwar in protest over the brutal police action against students on 20 July, demanding answers from the Home Minister.

📍New Delhi pic.twitter.com/898CRjuKIC

— Congress (@INCIndia) August 5, 2026

Opposition wants PM to address House on key issues, says Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi

Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi said the Opposition is demanding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi address the House on issues concerning the nation. He alleged that both the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister Amit Shah were absent from the proceedings and said their accountability on important national issues was also missing.

Lok Sabha adjourned shortly after House assembled

Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 2 PM on Wednesday as the Opposition continued their sloganeering over various issues, including police action against students.

As soon as the House met, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla asked members to go back to their seats and allow the House to take up the Question Hour.

"Sloganeering, whether inside or outside the House, is not good for democracy. By showing placards and sloganeering you are lowering the dignity of the House," Birla told Opposition members.

Birla said many members have approached him saying that important questions are listed but the House is not able to take up the Question Hour due to the disruption created by the Opposition in the ongoing Monsoon Session.

As protests continues, Birla adjourned the House till 2 PM.

Since the Monsoon session began on July 20, the Lok Sabha has not been able to complete its Question Hour.

Heavy sloganeering rocks Rajya Sabha

Rajya Sabha adjourned till 12 noon

 The Rajya Sabha was adjourned till 12 noon on Wednesday as Opposition MPs continued to raise slogans against the alleged Ayodhya Ram Temple donation theft, and demanded the presence of Home Minister Amit Shah in the House.

Soon after the House met at 11 am and papers were laid, Opposition members were on their feet.

Chairman CP Radhakrishnan called BJP MP from Jammu and Kashmir Sat Paul Sharma to speak.

"Today is a historic day not just for Jammu and Kashmir but for the whole country. On August 5, 2019, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Article 370 was abolished and Jammu and Kashmir got a new identity," Sharma said amid sloganeering by the Opposition.

"Jammu and Kashmir was brought into the mainstream... what the Home Minister did for Jammu and Kashmir has taken the Union Territory to new heights," he said.

Sharma called Article 370 "a thorn by their side", and said J&K is getting benefits of all schemes of the Union Government.

He also slammed parties like NC, PDP and the Congress and alleged that they did not do anything for J&K.

Opposition MPs continued to raise slogans as the Chairman called MPs to speak in the Zero Hour. However, as the slogan-shouting continued, the House was adjourned till 12 noon. 

Rajya Sabha resumes proceedings

Rajya Sabha proceedings adjourned till 2 pm amid noisy protests by Opposition.

Rijiju reaches out to Rahul Gandhi amid Lok Sabha deadlock

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju reached out to Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday to break the Lok Sabha deadlock, sources said. The House was adjourned till 2 pm after Opposition sloganeering over police action against students and other issues.

The Lok Sabha has failed to complete Question Hour since the Monsoon Session began on July 20, with five bills passed amid disruptions. Speaker Om Birla urged MPs to return to their seats, saying sloganeering was affecting the dignity of the House.

Shashi Tharoor questions Centre over inactivity of panel on same-sex couples' rights

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday questioned the Centre over the functioning of the High-Powered Committee constituted following the Supreme Court's judgment in the same-sex marriage case, alleging a lack of political will to secure meaningful rights for LGBTQIA+ citizens.

In a post on X, Tharoor said the government's written reply to his unstarred question revealed that the committee had met only twice since its constitution more than two years ago, with its last meeting held over two years ago. He alleged that it had not produced a single recommendation or report.

Calling the interim measures cited by the government inadequate, Tharoor said advisories could not substitute for legal reforms guaranteeing equal access to housing, employment, healthcare, inheritance, joint financial benefits, next-of-kin recognition, medical decision-making and public services.

"If the Government believes these questions should await the Committee's recommendations, it owes the community an explanation for why the Committee itself has remained virtually inactive for over two years," he said, asking whether the panel had been constituted merely to satisfy the Supreme Court without any intention of carrying its mandate forward.

While Parliament remain dysfunctional, with Bills being passed without discussion, we are still getting written replies to our unstarred questions. Here’s one.

The Government's reply to my question lays bare the utter failure of the High-Powered Committee constituted pursuant… pic.twitter.com/GNQjWJc8PZ

— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) August 5, 2026

LS passes Bill recognising digital bank records as admissible court evidence

The Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed a Bill to recognise digital bank records as admissible evidence in courts, amid protests by the Opposition.

Lok Sabha adjourned till 11 am Thursday

Lok Sabha proceedings have been adjourned for the day on Wednesday and will reconvene at 11 am on Thursday.

INDIA bloc MPs walk out from RS during debate on bill to increase number of judges in SC

Members of INDIA bloc parties on Wednesday staged a walkout from the Rajya Sabha during a debate on a bill to increase the number of judges in the Supreme Court.

The members of the Opposition bloc were protesting Deputy Chairman Harivansh's decision not to allow senior Congress member Vivek Tankha to raise the issue of abrogation of Article 370, making Jammu & Kashmir a Union Territory while speaking on the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026.

As Tankha questioned the haste with which the government brought the ordinance to raise the number of judges in May this year, just ahead of the Supreme Court's summer vacation, he talked about the abrogation of Article 370.

The Deputy Chairman stopped him from raising matters other than related to the bill. This led to protest by Congress members, with Deputy Leader of Congress Pramod Tiwari objecting to Harivansh not allowing Tankha to complete his speech and said the INDIA bloc members were walking out.

The Opposition members were also demanding that Home Minister Amit Shah be present in the House and answer their questions on police action on students during recent protests over NEET paper leak.

The discussion on the bill continued even after the INDIA bloc members walked out.

Rajya Sabha clears bill to increase number of judges in SC after Opposition walkout

The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday passed The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026, which seeks to increase the sanctioned strength of judges in the apex court. The Bill was approved after Opposition members staged a walkout in protest earlier in the afternoon.

Rajya Sabha adjourned till 11 am Thursday

Rajya Sabha proceedings have been adjourned for the day on Wednesday and will reconvene at 11 am on Thursday.