Bills to replace criminal laws listed for Parliament’s Winter Session

New Delhi: The government on Wednesday listed 18 Bills, including two to extend provisions of the women’s reservation act to Jammu and Kashmir and Puducherry and three to replace the criminal laws, during the Winter Session of Parliament beginning next week.

According to a bulletin issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat, the government also plans to bring a Bill to increase the strength of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly from 107 to 114 in a bid to provide representation to Kashmiri migrants, displaced persons from Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir and Scheduled Tribes.

Besides the Bills, the government has listed the first batch of supplementary demands for grants for 2023-24 for presentation, discussion and voting during the session.

The Winter Session of Parliament begins on December 4 and will continue till December 22.

The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya Bill that seek to replace the Indian Penal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Indian Evidence Act respectively have also been listed for consideration and passage in the Lok Sabha.

The three Bills were examined by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs, which submitted its reports with dissent notes by opposition members.

The new Bills listed for introduction in the Lok Sabha are: The Boilers Bill, The Provisional Collection of Taxes Bill, The Central Goods and Services Tax (Second Amendment) Bill and The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization (Amendment) Bill.

The Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, The National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Second (Amendment) Bill and The Central University (Amendment) Bill are also among the new Bills.

The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization (Amendment) Bill and The Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill seek to extend provisions of the Women’s Reservation Act to J-K and Puducherry, respectively.

The Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Bill proposes to set up a three-member committee led by the Prime Minister for appointing future chief election commissioners and election commissioners, and The Post Office Bill, introduced in the Rajya Sabha, have also been listed for the Winter Session. The Press and Registration of Periodicals Bill, which seeks to simplify the registration process for periodicals and newspapers and do away with several penal provisions that led to the prosecution and imprisonment of publishers, and the Advocates (Amendment) Bill, which were approved by the Rajya Sabha, too have been listed for consideration and passage by the Lok Sabha.

Also listed for consideration and passage are The Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, The Constitution (Jammu and Kashmir) Scheduled Castes Order (Amendment) Bill, and The Constitution (Jammu and Kashmir) Scheduled Tribes Order (Amendment) Bill.

Rajya Sabha has listed The Repealing and Amending Bill, which was approved by Lok Sabha, for consideration and passage. Ahead of the Winter session of Parliament, the government has convened a meeting of floor leaders of political parties in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on Saturday.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi will hold the meeting on Saturday which is expected to be attended by senior leaders, including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal. Currently, 37 Bills are pending in Parliament of which 12 are listed for consideration and passing, and seven Bills for introduction, consideration and passing.

The government also plans to present the first batch of Supplementary Demands for Grants for the year 2023-24.

The report of the Ethics Committee on the “cash-for-query” allegations against Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra will be tabled in Lok Sabha during the session.

The House will have to adopt the report before the expulsion recommended by the panel comes into effect.

Also, the three key Bills which seek to replace the Indian Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure and the Evidence Act are likely to be taken up for consideration during the session as the standing committee on Home has already adopted the three reports recently.