On Monday, June 10, the Kerala government swiftly passed two bills—the Kerala Municipality (Second Amendment) Bill and the Kerala Panchayat Raj (Second Amendment) Bill—related to the delimitation of local governing body wards, bypassing the usual procedures for referring them to the assembly’s subject or select committee.
The Speaker considered the bills amidst a protest by Opposition MLAs over liquor policy bribery allegations. The bills were passed without any discussion, as the opposition continued their uproar. Typically, such bills are referred to the subject committee for review, but the government suspended legislative rules 76, 77, and 237 to expedite their passage.
Rule 76 allows for bills to be referred to the subject committee, select committee, or circulated for opinion. Rule 237 grants the subject committee the authority to suggest changes or register dissent, which would accompany the bill for the assembly’s consideration. The LSGD Minister MB Rajesh presented the bills, which were passed within minutes despite opposition MLAs’ protests. Leader of the Opposition VD Satheesan submitted a letter of protest to Speaker AN Shamseer.
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