Four Bills In Parliament Special Session: The Central Government has called a special session of Parliament from 18 September 2023. The Center made clear the reasons for calling this session on Wednesday (September 13) evening. According to the government, it will discuss the country’s journey, achievements, experiences, memories, and lessons for 75 years from the formation of the Constituent Assembly after the country’s independence.
Apart from all these, there are four such bills that the government wants to discuss and pass in the Lok Sabha. Among these bills, the Government Advocate Amendment Bill 2023, and Press and Periodical Registration Bill 2023 will be introduced in the Lok Sabha. These two bills have been passed in the Rajya Sabha. Apart from these two bills, the Post Office Bill 2023 and the Chief Election Commissioner Bill, in which the Election Commissioners are appointed, the Service Conditions Bill 2023 will be presented for discussion in the Rajya Sabha.
Why did the government call a special session?
What is so special about the bills starting from September 18 is that the government did not wait to pass them and had to call a special session of Parliament. We tell you about it.
Advocate Amendment Bill 2023
Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal introduced this bill in the Rajya Sabha in the monsoon session, where it was to be discussed. In this bill, the Central Government will present it in the Lok Sabha to repeal all the obsolete laws that have lost their utility or the pre-independence acts. In this bill, it has been decided to repeal the Legal Practitioners Act, of 1879, while the Advocates Act, of 1961 will also be amended.
This Bill provides that every High Court, District Judge, Sessions Judge, District Magistrate, and Revenue Officer (not below the rank of District Collector) can prepare and publish a list of brokers. The government can also take important steps for necessary changes in law education and legal administration.
Press and Periodicals Registration Bill, 2023
In the monsoon session itself, the government passed the Press and Periodical Registration Bill in Rajya Sabha in 2023. If this bill is passed by the Lok Sabha then people will get many facilities. After the implementation of this bill, digital media will also come under the purview of regulation.
The main objective of this bill is to introduce transparency. This bill will make the registration process for newspapers and magazines easier. If you want to start your own newspaper then you can apply to the District Collector. Many penal provisions for not operating the press have been removed.
Post Office Bill, 2023
The Post Office Bill 2023 was introduced in the Rajya Sabha on August 10, 2023. This will replace the old Act made in 1898. This Bill removes the privilege of sending letters to the Post Office as well as incidental services like receiving, collecting, sending, and delivering letters. Under this bill, post offices will be able to issue their own unique postage stamps. They will have the privilege to do so.
This act allows the interception of shipments sent through post. In view of security and peace in any emergency situation, some top officials of the post office will have the right to open, stop, or destroy any shipment.
The Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Condition of Service) Bill, 2023
The government has introduced a bill in the monsoon session of the Rajya Sabha with the aim of making changes in the process of appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and Election Commissioners (EC). On this bill, the government says that there was no parliamentary law in Article 324 of the Constitution, so the government is now creating this bill to eliminate this problem.
If we talk about the features of this bill, its chairman will be the Prime Minister. Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha as a member (If the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha is not recognized, then the leader of the largest opposition party in the Lok Sabha will play this role). The Prime Minister will be able to nominate a Union Cabinet Minister as a member.
However, this bill is said to be controversial because the balance of power in it is one-sided, due to which the Election Commissioner does not remain impartial. In such a situation, the opposition says that if this bill is passed, its impartiality will be under question, because unilateral control over the Election Commission will hinder the electoral process of the country. There will be no transparency in elections.
