lok-sabha-extends-one-nation-one-election-jpc-deadline

The Lok Sabha on Tuesday approved a motion to extend the deadline for the Joint Parliamentary Committee’s report on the ‘One Nation, One Election Bill.’ The extension will allow the committee to present its findings by the first day of the last week of the Winter Session in 2025.

 

The motion was moved by PP Chaudhary, Chairman of the One Nation, One Election Panel. He urged the House to grant the Joint Parliamentary Committee additional time to finalise and present its report on the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024, and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024.

 

The bill was first introduced in the Lok Sabha in December 2024 and subsequently referred to the Joint Committee of both Houses for detailed examination.

 

The motion stated: “That this House do extend time for the presentation of the Report of the Joint Committee on the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024 and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, up to the first day of the last week of the Winter Session, 2025.”

 

Meanwhile, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla announced the formation of a three-member panel to investigate allegations against High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma. The members of this committee are Justice Amit Kumar, Justice Maninder Mohan Srivastava, and senior advocate B B Acharya.

 

Birla confirmed that he had accepted a motion signed by 146 Members of Parliament for the impeachment of Justice Yashwant Varma.

 

The Supreme Court, on August 7, upheld the legality of the in-house inquiry procedure, which resulted in a recommendation to remove Justice Yashwant Varma, an Allahabad High Court judge, after burnt currency was discovered at his residence following a fire. 

 

The apex court dismissed a plea by Justice Varma challenging the in-house inquiry panel’s findings and the recommendation made by then Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna to the President to initiate impeachment proceedings.

 

The incident that triggered the investigation occurred when Justice Varma was serving as a judge of the Delhi High Court. A fire at his official residence in the national capital led to the recovery of burnt, unaccounted cash, prompting the in-house inquiry and subsequent proceedings.