Monsoon Session Ends Amid Protests; Key Bills On Online Gaming & Leaders’ Accountability Tabled

New Delhi, Aug 21 (IANS) The monsoon session of Parliament is set to conclude on Thursday after running for nearly a month since July 21. The proceedings in both Houses — the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha — will reconvene at 11 a.m. for the final sitting of the session.

Throughout the monsoon session, multiple adjournments disrupted proceedings as the Opposition staged continuous protests.

Their primary demand was for a detailed discussion on the voter list revision in Bihar ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections. Opposition parties have accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of “conspiring” to manipulate the voter list in the state.

On Wednesday, despite loud protests from the Opposition, the Lok Sabha passed the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025.

The legislation seeks to promote and regulate the online gaming industry, encompassing e-sports, educational games, and social gaming. It introduces stricter regulations for gaming platforms, particularly those involving real-money games such as poker.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah also introduced significant bills during the session, including one that mandates the removal of elected representatives who face arrest or detention on serious criminal charges.

The legislation, if enacted, will apply to the Prime Minister, Union ministers, Chief Ministers, and ministers of Union Territories.

Shah tabled three key bills — The Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill 2025, the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirtieth Amendment) Bill 2025, and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill 2025.

According to the provisions, any Prime Minister, Union minister, Chief Minister, or minister of a state or Union Territory who is arrested and remains in custody for 30 consecutive days in connection with offences carrying a minimum jail term of five years will be required to resign by the 31st day.

In case of non-compliance, they will be automatically removed from office.

The proposed legislation has been referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), which has been directed to submit its report on the opening day of the next parliamentary session.

Shah assured that the Opposition would be given ample opportunity to raise objections and present its views before the panel.

(This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)