Jammu : The Business Rules Committee of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly headed by Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather is underway in Jammu to review and finalize amendments to the rules that govern legislative procedures.
Officials said that the meeting is underway at the Assembly complex in Jammu.
BJP MLA R S Pathania, who is one of the members of the committee, earlier told KINS that Legislative Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather is chairing the meeting in his office at the Assembly complex in Jammu.
Sources said that the main goal of the meeting is to discuss and approve the proposed changes before they are circulated among all members.
Another member of the committee who wished not to be named said that in the last meeting, they proposed minor changes to improve the Assembly’s efficiency.
“The new draft is expected to include these suggestions. However, if there are major differences, we will discuss them further,” the member told KINS.
This is the third meeting of the nine-member committee, which was established on December 24, 2024, under Rule 363 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the J&K Legislative Assembly.
The Speaker serves as the committee’s ex-officio chairman.
The committee’s first meeting was on January 1, 2025, followed by the second on January 7. During those meetings, members decided to first correct outdated references in the existing rules. While the committee can suggest modifications, only the Lieutenant Governor has the authority to create entirely new rules in consultation with the Speaker.
The committee includes legislators from different parties: former Speaker Mubarak Gul (NC), Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami (CPI-M), Saifullah Mir (NC), Nizam-ud-Din Bhat (Congress), Pawan Kumar Gupta (BJP), Justice (Retd) Hasnain Masoodi (NC), R.S. Pathania (BJP), and Muzaffar Iqbal Khan (Independent).
The committee must finalize the rules before the upcoming Budget Session, set to start on March 3, 2025. Sources say the session is expected to be short, running until March 21, with the last two days reserved for private members’ bills and resolutions. The Business Advisory Committee will confirm the final schedule.
“If most members agree in today’s meeting, the draft rules will be formally adopted and sent to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha for final approval,” a senior official told KINS.
Once approved, the changes will take effect in the upcoming Budget Session.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has already called for the J&K Legislative Assembly to begin its budget session on March 3. This will be the first budget presented by Omar Abdullah’s government since the return of an elected administration after seven years of direct central rule.
An official statement from the LG reads: “I, Manoj Sinha, Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, in the exercise of the powers conferred upon me under Section 18(1) of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act, 2019, do hereby summon the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly to meet at Jammu on Monday, the 3rd day of March 2025 at 10:00 AM.”
Omar Abdullah’s cabinet had earlier recommended that the session be held in early March. The Lieutenant Governor is also expected to address the Assembly on the first day, outlining the legislative priorities for the coming year.(KINS)
