After SC prod, Punjab Assembly secretariat writes to governor for proroguing Budget session

PTI

Chandigarh, November 15

The Punjab Assembly secretariat Wednesday wrote to Governor Banwarilal Purohit for proroguing the Budget session which was held in March.

The development comes days after the Supreme Court had questioned the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government for repeatedly adjourning the session sine die instead of proroguing it.

The state government had moved the apex court against Governor Purohit for not giving assent to bills passed by the state assembly.

An official said that the Vidhan Sabha secretariat Wednesday wrote to the governor for proroguing the Budget session after the state government gave a go ahead to get the session prorogued.

Under the rules, an assembly session is adjourned sine die (without setting a date for the next sitting) by the speaker. This is usually followed by prorogation of the session by the governor.

The Winter session of the Punjab Assembly is likely to take place in the last week of November, said the official.

On November 10, the top court pulled up the Punjab governor for “indefinitely sitting over” some bills passed by the assembly saying “you are playing with fire”.

The apex court also questioned the state government for repeatedly adjourning the Budget session sine die instead of proroguing it. It, however, upheld the speaker’s supremacy in conducting the business of the House or adjourning its sessions.

The Supreme Court had termed the deadlock between the Punjab government and the governor over assent to bills passed by the assembly a matter of “serious concern” and said it is not happy with what is happening in the state.

The Budget session, which was convened in March, was adjourned sine die but it was not prorogued.

The state government convened a special session on June 19 and 20 which was the extension of the Budget session.

In this session, four bills—the Sikh Gurdwaras (Amendment) Bill, 2023, the Punjab Universities Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2023, the Punjab Police (Amendment) Bill, 2023 and the Punjab Affiliated Colleges (Security of Service) Amendment Bill, 2023, were passed.

These bills are yet to be given assent by the governor who called the June session as “patently illegal”.

The state government again called a two-day session on October 20-21 which was projected as an extension of the Budget session.

Purohit had then stated that the October 20-21 session was “bound to be illegal” and any business conducted during it “unlawful”.

The Punjab Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (Amendment) Bill, 2023, the Punjab Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2023 and the Indian Stamp (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2023 were to be tabled in the House during the October 20-21 session.

But the governor withheld his approval to these three money bills.

On October 20, the state government had cut short its two-day session and Chief Minister Mann then announced that the government would move the Supreme Court against the governor for withholding his approval to the three bills slated to be tabled in the House.

After the Mann government moved the SC, Purohit gave approval to two of the three money bills.

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