A Joint Committee of Parliament examining the Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill defers adoption of its draft report, according to multiple outlets. The committee, chaired by Aparajita Sarangi, had circulated the draft report among members after preparing five recommendations. During the committee’s meeting on Friday, members voted on each of the recommendations separately but then decided to put adoption of the report on hold, indicating that additional deliberations are needed before finalising the conclusions.
The committee cites a need for further consultations with stakeholders. Sarangi said members reached a unanimous view that more stakeholder consultations are necessary before moving ahead. The decision is presented as a precautionary step given the potential implications of the bill for high constitutional officeholders, including the Prime Minister, Union Ministers and Chief Ministers.
One report also notes that dissent notes were submitted by Asaduddin Owaisi of AIMIM and Supriya Sule of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar), but both withdrew their dissent after the committee chose to defer the report’s adoption.
