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RULES OF PROCEDURE AND CONDUCT OF BUSINESS IN LOK SABHA SIXTEENTH EDITION LOK SABHA SECRETARIAT NEW DELHI 2019 C.B. (I) No. 376 April, 2019 Price : Rs. 85.00 © 2019 By Lok Sabha Secretariat, New Delhi Printed by M/s Jainco Art India, New Delhi-110 005. PREFACE The Constituent Assembly (Legislative) Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in force immediately before the commencement of the Constitution of India were modified and adopted by the Speaker of Lok Sabha in exercise of the powers conferred on the Speaker by article 118(2) of the Constitution and published under the title “Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the House of the People” in the Gazette of India Extraordinary dated the 17th April, 1952. Those Rules were amended by the Speaker from time to time on the recommendations of the Rules Committee of the House until September, 1954. In September, 1954, Rules Committee decided that their recommendations should be approved by the House before amendments were given effect to. Consequently, the procedure for amendment of the rules as given in rule 306 of the Fourth Edition (Rule 331 of the Present Edition) came into force with effect from the 15th October, 1954. In December, 1956, Rules Committee recommended that the rules contained in the Fourth Edition of the Rules as amended from time to time might be approved by the House under article 118(1) of the Constitution. The House agreed. Accordingly, the Fifth Edition of the Rules incorporating the amendments made till 28th March, 1957, was laid on the Table of Lok Sabha on that day. During the Third Lok Sabha, the amendments recommended by the Rules Committee and agreed to by the House were incorporated in the ‘March, 1967 Reprint’ of the Fifth Edition. During the Fourth Lok Sabha, the amendments recommended by the Rules Committee and agreed to by the House were incorporated in the ‘March, 1971 Reprint’ of the Fifth Edition. (i) (ii) During the Fifth Lok Sabha, certain amendments were recommended by the Rules Committee and agreed to by the House. Those amendments were incorporated in the Sixth Edition which was brought up-to-date. During the Sixth and Seventh Lok Sabha, no amendments were made to the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha. During the Eighth Lok Sabha, all the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha were reviewed in depth. These Rules, which were first adopted in 1952, were never subjected to a systematic review in a comprehensive manner thereafter. As a result in many matters the actual practice as it had developed over the years was found to be at variance with the relevant rules as they stood in the Rule Book. In several other cases, matters were being governed merely by precedents and practices. A comprehensive review of the Rules was, therefore, undertaken with the approval of the Rules Committee with a view to incorporating therein the procedural changes that had come about. As a consequence of the review, a large number of amendments/ modifications were necessitated in the rules. These amendments were considered by the Rules Committee and their Second, Third and Fourth Reports (1989) containing their recommendations in this regard were laid on the Table of the House on 2 and 3 May, 1989 and 25 July, 1989 respectively. They were later on agreed to by the House. The amendments so made came into force with effect from 9 May and 1 August, 1989 and were incorporated in the Seventh Edition of the Rules brought out in December, 1989. During the Ninth Lok Sabha, no amendments were made in the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha. During the Tenth Lok Sabha, a full-fledged system of Departmentally Related Standing Committees of Parliament was created by setting up 17 Standing Committees covering under their jurisdiction all the Ministries/Departments of the Union Government replacing the existing three Subject Committees. The rules relating to these Committees and other amendments, as recommended by the Rules Committee and agreed to by the House, were incorporated in the Eighth Edition of the Rules. (iii) During the Eleventh Lok Sabha, a new Committee on the Empowerment of Women was created. The rules relating to this Committee and other amendments as recommended by the Rules Committee and agreed to by the House, were incorporated in the Ninth Edition of the Rules. During the Twelfth Lok Sabha, no amendments were made in the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha. During the Thirteenth Lok Sabha, a new Rule 374A, which was recommended by the Rules Committee and agreed to by the House was incorporated in the Tenth Edition of the Rules. A few changes made in the Fifth Schedule to the Rules during the years 2002 and 2004 were incorporated in the March, 2004 Eleventh Edition of the Rules. During the Fourteenth Lok Sabha, amendments to Rule 72(2) and 331(D)(1) and also the changes made in the Fifth Schedule to the Rules as recommended by the Rules Committee and agreed to by the House were incorporated in the July, 2007, Twelfth Edition of the Rules. The subsequent amendments made in the Fifth Schedule had been incorporated in the Thirteenth Edition of the Rules. During the Fifteenth Lok Sabha, amendments to Rules 33, 39, 46, 48, 49, 331A and 349 as recommended by the Rules Committee in their First Report and agreed to by the House along with changes made in the Fifth Schedule to the Rules were incorporated in the July, 2010 Fourteenth Edition of the Rules. Thereafter, a reprint of the Fourteenth Edition was brought out in October, 2013 wherein further amendments to the Fifth Schedule were incorporated. Subsequently, gender neutral Rules as recommended by the Rules Committee in their Second Report and agreed to by the House came into force with effect from 13 February, 2014. Certain amendments to Rules 160, 164(1), 167 and 169 relating to Petitions, as recommended by the Rules Committee in their Second Report were agreed to by the House in February, 2014. These amendments as well as gender neutral rules were incorporated in the Fifteenth Edition of the Rules. (iv) During the Sixteenth Lok Sabha, a review of the rules was undertaken with a view to reconcile the variations between the actual practices being followed and the rules in the Rule Book. As a consequence of the review, certain amendments were made in Part I of the Fourth Schedule of the Rules and also to the rules 162(2) and 164(1) besides incorporating new rule 307A. These amendments were recommended by the Rules Committee and agreed to by the House. Further, new rules 233A, 233B, 316A, 316B, 316C, 316D, 316E and 316F relating to the Committee on Ethics were recommended by the Rules Committee and agreed to by the House to make the ad hoc Committee on Ethics a regular standing Committee under the rules. A few changes were also made in the Fifth Schedule to the Rules during the years 2015, 2016 and 2018. All the amendments made to the rules and Fourth and Fifth Schedules to the Rules have now been incorporated in this Edition of the Rules. The Members of Lok Sabha (Disqualification on Ground of Defection) Rules, 1985, made by the Speaker, Lok Sabha, in terms of paragraph 8 of the Tenth Schedule to the Constitution which came into force with effect from 18th March, 1986, have been incorporated as Appendix IV. NEW DELHI; SNEHLATA SHRIVASTAVA, April, 2019 Secretary General. CONTENTS RULE PAGE CHAPTER I Short Title and Definitions 1. Short title ............................................................. 1 2. Definitions............................................................. 1 CHAPTER II Summons to Members, Seating, Oath or Affirmation and Roll of Members 3. Summons ............................................................. 4 4. Seating ................................................................. 4 5. Oath or affirmation ............................................... 4 6. Roll of Members .................................................. 4 CHAPTER III Election of Speaker and Deputy Speaker and nomination of Panel of Chairpersons 7. Election of Speaker ............................................. 5 8. Election of Deputy Speaker ................................. 6 9. Nomination of Panel of Chairpersons .................. 6 10. Powers of Deputy Speaker or other member presiding ............................................................... 7 CHAPTER IV Sittings of the House 11. Duly constituted sitting ........................................ 8 12. Commencement and conclusion of sitting .......... 8 13. Days of sittings ................................................... 8 (v) (vi) RULE PAGE 14. (Omitted) .............................................................. 8 15. Adjournment of House and procedure for reconvening .......................................................... 8 CHAPTER V President’s Address and Messages to the House 16. Allotment of time for discussion of the Address ................................................................ 9 17. Scope of discussion ............................................ 9 18. Amendments ........................................................ 9 19. Other business that may be taken up ................ 9 20. Right of reply ....................................................... 10 21. Time limit for speeches ....................................... 10 22. President’s Address under art. 86(1) ................... 10 23. Messages from President .................................... 10 24. President’s Address on prorogation ..................... 10 CHAPTER VI Arrangement
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