Srinagar- The Legislative Assembly’s Committee on Rules on Tuesday gave its go-ahead to the Speaker to carry out bare minimum modifications in the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Jammu & Kashmir Legislative Assembly.
The House panel comprises legislators of the ruling NC- led alliance and BJP met on Tuesday in the Legislative Assembly complex, Jammu to discuss amendments/ modifications in the Rules governing functioning of the House.
Sources said that there was unanimity among members against major changes in the rules and converged on making bare minimum modifications in the Rules.
A legislator, who is part of the committee, wishing anonymity, said that all panel members agreed upon replacing Governor, State, both Houses of legislature and Joint Select Committee respectively with Lieutenant Governor, Union Territory, Legislative Assembly and Select Committee.
“The committee gave its go-ahead to the Speaker to carry out these minimal modifications,” he said.
MLA Rajouri and member of the committee Muzaffar Iqbal Khan said there was unanimity among the committee members that there should be no amendments in the existing rules except slight modifications required for transaction of business in the House.
He said the committee has given its go-ahead to the Speaker for carrying out slight modifications in the existing Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the House.“ The Speaker was already empowered to do so under the Reorganisation Act- 2019,” he said, adding that the committee has finalised its work.
BJP MLA RS Pathania said that certain modifications and adaptations which are necessary and germane to the fruitful working of the Legislative Assembly would be carried out by the Speaker.
“The speaker is empowered to do so after passing of the Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation Act-2019,” he said.
It is worthwhile to mention that Peoples Democratic Party had termed the modifications as an endorsement to August 5, 2019 constitutional changes.
“The modified J&K Assembly business rules mark a shift from Article 370, effectively endorsing the constitutional changes of August 5, 2019. A clear acknowledgement of the new status quo,” PDP MLA Waheed-ur-Rehman wrote in a post on X.
The committee was established on December 24, 2024, under Rule 363 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the J&K Legislative Assembly.
This has been necessitated after downgrading and bifurcation of erstwhile J&K state into two Union Territories on August 5, 2019.
The Speaker serves as the committee’s ex-officio chairman.
The committee’s first meeting was on January 1, 2025, followed by the second on January 7. During those meetings, members decided to first correct outdated references in the existing rules. While the committee can suggest modifications, only the Lieutenant Governor has the authority to create entirely new rules in consultation with the Speaker.
The committee includes legislators from different parties: former Speaker Mubarak Gul (NC), Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami (CPI-M), Saifullah Mir (NC), Nizam-ud-Din Bhat (Congress), Pawan Kumar Gupta (BJP), Justice (Retd) Hasnain Masoodi (NC), R.S. Pathania (BJP), and Muzaffar Iqbal Khan (Independent).
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