Winter Session: Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha Adjourned Sine Die, Day Ahead of Schedule

The Winter Session of Parliament started on 29 November and was scheduled to end on 23 December.

(Image: The Quint/ Kamran Akhter)

The Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha were on Wednesday, 22 December, adjourned sine day, a day ahead of schedule.

The adjournment comes after Bahujan Samaj Party MP Danish Ali, who was present during the Lok Sabha proceedings earlier this week, notified that he had tested positive for COVID-19.

The Winter Session of Parliament, which started on 29 November and was marked by the passing of the highly anticipated Farm Laws Repeal Bill, was scheduled to end on 23 December.

Both Houses witnessed recurring disruptions, adjournments, and hit productivity lows after 12 Opposition Rajya Sabha MPs were suspended for their "unruly" conduct during the Monsoon Session.

The 12 MPs include Elamaram Kareem (CPI-M), Congress MPs Phulo Devi Netam, Chhaya Verma, R Bora, Rajamani Patel, Syed Nasir Hussain, Akhilesh Prasad Singh, Binoy Viswam (CPI), TMC MPs Dola Sen and Shanta Chhetri, and Shiv Sena MPs Priyanka Chaturvedi and Anil Desai.

The impasse in Parliament was bolstered by Opposition parties demanding the resignation of MoS Ajay Misra Teni in relation with the Lakhimpur Kheri incident.

What Happened on the Final Day?

On the final day of the session on Tuesday, the Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021, which seeks to link voter IDs to Aadhar on a voluntary basis, was passed in the Rajya Sabha amid vehement protests from the Opposition.

TMC MP Derek O'Brien was suspended for 'unruly behaviour' after he allegedly threw the Rajya Sabha rule book towards the chair during a heated discussion on the bill.

In the Lok Sabha, Union Minister Smriti Irani introduced the Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021, which seeks to increase the age of marriage of women from 18 to 21.

The legislation was sent to a Parliamentary standing committee for review.