Parliament cleared the Taxation and other Laws (Amendment) Bill, with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman pointing out that the legislation does not impose any tax on UPI and the digital payment system will continue to be free.
The Bill proposed to remove the linkage between the Payment and Settlement Systems Act and the Income Tax Act, and provide legal backing to the government to modify the zero-MDR framework of UPI and RuPay card transactions.
The Bill also replaced the June 5 ordinance that provided I-T exemption to interest income and capital gains made by FPIs from investments in G-Secs.
Nirmala Sitharam tabled the Books Evidence Bill, 2026 in Rajya Sabha to expand the scope of bankers' books to cover electronic, digital, virtual and other forms of records, allowing such records to be used as evidence in legal proceedings.
Books Evidence Bill seeks to repeal and replace the Bankers' Books Evidence Act, 1891, and bring the legal framework governing bank records in line with the digital transformation of the banking sector. The Bill was later passed through voice vote following a brief discussion.
Notably, the Lok Sabha passed the Tribunals Reforms Bill, 2026, that aims to set up a panel to appoint chiefs and members of tribunals without debate.
The draft law does not change or alter the jurisdictions of the various tribunals but only makes the appointment process uniform. He said the Bill is a part of the "reform express" of the Modi government.
The Bill lays the framework to set up a National Tribunals Commission. To be headquartered in the national capital, the proposed commission will consist of a chairperson and four members -- two judicial members and two technical members. A retired Supreme Court judge or a retired chief justice of a high court will be qualified to head the proposed panel.
The government also introduced a Bill in the Lok Sabha to amend the regulations for mines and minerals, whereby states will be restricted from levying additional tax on mineral rights.
Through the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, the Centre also seeks to take under its control the regulation of mineral-bearing lands having mineral contents in accordance with the parameters prescribed under the MMDR Act.
The Bill to rename 'Kerala' as 'Keralam' after the state assembly adopted a resolution two years ago was also introduced in the Lok Sabha. The Kerala government had forwarded to the Centre a resolution passed by the state's legislative assembly regarding the name change in June 2024.
The Monsoon session, which started on July 20, has seen repeated adjournments and virtually no business except the debate on the anti-paper leaks bill -- The Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 -- which was passed by Parliament.
The Opposition is pressing for a discussion on police action against students protesting over the NEET paper leak and also demanded the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the home minister and their statements over it.
Amid Opposition protests over police action against protesting students and alleged theft of Ram temple donations, Lok Sabha was adjourned till 12 noon by N.K. Premachandran, who was presiding over the House.
Amid Opposition protests seeking a discussion on various issues, Rajya Sabha Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan adjourned the House till 12 pm.
#MonsoonSession2026 #RajyaSabha adjourned till 12:00 Noon@VPIndia pic.twitter.com/cJZny37fKw
— SansadTV (@sansad_tv) August 10, 2026
Lok Sabha proceedings resume amid protests
Opposition MPs, including Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, protested in Parliament House complex on Monday over the alleged theft of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya and the “police excesses” against student protesters.
They demanded that Home Minister Amit Shah must come to Parliament and make a statement on the alleged police excesses during the July 20 student protest over the paper leak issue.
Carrying placards against the government, the MPs protested in front of the Makar Dwar of Parliament with slogans such as ‘chhanda chor, gaddi chor’, ‘Amit Shah jawaab do’ and ‘chanda chor kahan milenge, BJP ke daftar mein’.
The MPs also kept a donation box at the spot to symbolise the alleged theft of donations at the Ram temple and lined up around them to raise slogans against the government.
The Opposition MPs, mostly from the Congress and the Samajwadi Party, lined up behind a big banner that read ‘Amit Shah jawaab do”, and raised slogans against the Home Minister.
The INDIA bloc has vowed to corner the government on issues of alleged theft of donations at the Ram temple and the use of “brutal force” against students during their protests last week.
Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Monday introduced the Tribunals Reforms Bill, 2026.
The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026 was also introduced in the House by Union Minister G Kishan Reddy.
Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 2 p.m. amid noisy protest by the Opposition, which is seeking a response from the government on police action on protesting students and alleged theft of Ram temple donations.
With protests from the opposition, the Rajya Sabha was adjourned till 2 p.m.
#MonsoonSession2026 #RajyaSabha adjourned to meet again at 02:00 PM@VPIndia pic.twitter.com/hxqnVD1cPa
— SansadTV (@sansad_tv) August 10, 2026
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday asserted that the deadlock between the opposition and the government in Parliament will continue till Union Home Minister Amit Shah makes a statement over alleged police excesses on students.
With only four days of the Monsoon session remaining, the fate of major bills on women's reservation, delimitation and the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) remains uncertain amid the ongoing logjam in Parliament.
None of these bills figured in the list of business for the Lok Sabha for Monday.
"I think the deadlock in Parliament will continue till the Union Home Minister gives a statement," Priyanka Gandhi told reporters in the Parliament House complex.
While a few opposition parties have shown signs of mellowing their stand on the women's quota and delimitation bills after the government's outreach, the Congress and most of its allies have vowed to oppose any move to bring in these and the FCRA Amendment Bill.
The Constitution Amendment Bill that proposes 33 per cent reservation for women in 2029 and a redrawing of Lok Sabha constituencies to expand the House was defeated in April due to failure to secure a two-thirds majority.
#MonsoonSession2026
— SansadTV (@sansad_tv) August 10, 2026
Minister of Law and Justice @arjunrammeghwal introduces The Tribunals Reforms Bill,2026 in Lok Sabha.
That the Bill to improve the efficiency, ensure
independence, transparency, and uniformity in the qualifications, appointment, terms and conditions of… pic.twitter.com/tB36yjbn63
The Tribunals Reforms Bill, 2026 aims to improve efficiency, ensure independence, transparency and uniformity in the qualification and appointment of chairpersons and members for various tribunals.
Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal introduced the Bill amid noisy protests by opposition members seeking the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the police crackdown on students during the July 20 protest here against the NEET paper leak.
Members who had given notices to oppose the Bill at the introduction stage chose not to speak amid the din. The Bill also lays the framework to set up a National Tribunals Commission.
To be headquartered in the national capital, the proposed commission will consist of a chairperson and four members -- two judicial members and two technical members.
A retired Supreme Court judge or a retired chief justice of a high court will be qualified to head the proposed panel.
After Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said that the Government was ready to discuss the students' movement, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi on Monday claimed that the Centre has shared no official reply to the demand for Union Minister Amit Shah's statement in Parliament on police action against protesters on July 20.
Addrressing reporters outside Parliament, Gogoi added that the government has also not given a clarification on the opposition's demand for a discussion on the Ayodhya Ram Mandir donation embezzlement case.
The Congress leader said, "I have not seen what he has said, but what the information I'm getting and what we have discussed in our different meetings is specifically the Home Minister's statement on the police action and brutality against students. We have not got any specific reply on whether the Home Minister will speak on police action, police brutality against students or not; that clarification has not come."
"The government has not given any specific reply on whether they are ready to take up the debate on the corruption and mismanagement of the Ayodhya Ram Mandir Trust," he added.
Rajya Sabha passed the Bankers’ Books Evidence Bill, 2026 that provides for law relating to evidence with respect to bankers’ books, alignment with contemporary digital banking practices and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
Opposition parties on Monday staged a walkout from the Rajya Sabha after the Chair disallowed their attempts to raise issues like alleged theft of Ram temple donations and the use of pellet guns against protesters, even as Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman moved The Bankers' Books Evidence Bill, 2026, in the House for discussion.
After facing disruptions in the morning, as the Rajya Sabha met at 2 pm, Deputy Chairman Harivansh almost immediately adjourned the House for 15 minutes.
When the House reassembled at 2.15 pm, Sitharaman tabled the Bill, which seeks to replace a colonial-era legislation. Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge sought to raise certain issues; however, the Chair maintained that MPs should speak only on the Bill.
Amid continuing ruckus, the Chair called TMC member Nadimul Haque to speak. Haque sought to raise what he described as a "very serious incident" that had taken place on Sunday. However, the Chair asked Haque to speak on the Bill under consideration and did not allow him to raise the issue.
BJP member Arun Singh was then called to speak. The Opposition subsequently staged a walkout.
The Bill covers changes in foreign investment rules, digital payments (UPI/MDR), rough diamond trade exemptions, and REITs/InvITs taxation and was earlier passed in Lok Sabha.
Parliament on Monday passed the Taxation and other Laws (Amendment) Bill, with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman making clear that the legislation does not impose any tax on UPI and the digital payment system will remain free.
The Bill, which was passed by the Lok Sabha last week, was returned by the Rajya Sabha with a voice vote after a brief discussion and reply by the Finance Minister.
"Will consumer pay any UPI charge - No. UPI has remained free for consumers since its launch and every Indian will continue to make this instant digital without paying any transaction charge," Sitharaman said.
The Bill also proposed to remove the linkage between the Payment and Settlement Systems Act and the Income Tax Act, and provide legal backing to the government to modify the zero-MDR framework of UPI and RuPay card transactions.
The Bill facilitates the central government to decide, through notification, which electronic payment modes or transactions must remain free.
