The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly on Monday witnessed a huge uproar over the newly enacted Waqf law, as the Speaker turned down the adjournment motion - meant to suspend other proceedings in the House to discuss a matter of public importance - moved by the ruling party National Conference (NC) legislators.
The Assembly resumed after being adjourned for 15 minutes, as the NC MLAs chanted "Modi Sarkar hai, hai" while storming into the well of the House.
Dismissing the adjournment motion, Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather, citing Rules 56 and 58 (7), said that "no matter which is sub-judice can be brought up for adjournment." "Since this issue is in the Supreme Court and I have got a copy of it, the rule clearly says that we cannot discuss it through an adjournment motion," he added.
After the Speaker's refusal to take up the matter for urgent discussion, massive protests erupted among the NC legislators. Denouncing the NC's move, Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, Sunil Sharma, called the ruling party's demand "highly unconstitutional."
"Parliament has passed the bill, the President has given assent, and it is now law," said Sharma. Reiterating the Speaker's objection to the adjournment motion, he said that "when the matter is with the judiciary, this Assembly has no authority to debate or discuss it."
Sharma further stated that if a sub-judice matter is brought up for discussion in the assembly, then it would amount to violating constitutional norms.
It’s profoundly disappointing that the speaker J&K Assembly has rejected the motion on the Waqf Bill. Despite securing a strong mandate, the government appears to have completely yielded to the BJP’s anti-Muslim agenda, cynically attempting to appease both sides. The National Conference (NC) could learn from Tamil Nadu’s government, which has firmly opposed the Waqf Bill. In J&K, the only Muslim-majority region, it’s alarming that a supposedly people-centric government lacks the courage even to debate this critical issue.
