A special legislative session will be held from September 18 to September 22, 2023, to examine the Advocates (Amendment) Bill, 2023, as well as the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Bill, 2023.
On September 18, there will also be a discussion in parliament on the subject of “Parliamentary Journey of 75 Years Starting from Samvidhan Sabha: Achievements, Experiences, Memories, and Learnings.” On the first day of the session, a discussion on the “parliamentary journey of 75 years starting from Samvidhan Sabha achievements, experiences, memories, and learnings” was mentioned in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha bulletins.
To reduce the number of “superfluous enactments” on the books, the bill aims to combine the provisions of Section 36 of the Legal Practitioners Act of 1879 into the Advocates Act of 1961. Legal Practitioners Act Section 36 addresses the right to compile and distribute lists of touts in courts.
The Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Bill, 2023, is another key bill that the Lok Sabha is debating. The proposed law calls for the establishment of a body charged with choosing both the Chief Election Commissioner and the Election Commissioners.
The Repealing and Amending Bill, 2023, which was approved by the Lok Sabha during the monsoon session, was placed for consideration and passage in the Rajya Sabha by the government. The Post Office Bill, 2023, and the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service, and Term of Office) Bill, 2023, were two additional pieces of legislation that were introduced during the previous session. As soon as the upper house clears them, these will also be listed for the Lok Sabha. According to parliamentary reports, five bills are on the agenda for review and approval.
The election commissioners’ selection measure is likely to cause controversy. By enlisting the Chief Justice of India as a member of the selection panel, the Centre aimed to effectively overturn a Supreme Court decision that had stripped the executive of its sole authority to nominate the CEC and ECs on August 10. The selection committee, which would include the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition, and a Union cabinet minister the Prime Minister would propose, would make recommendations to the President, who would then ratify the appointments.
