Parliament’s Monsoon Session concluded on Thursday after 19 sittings spread over 25 days, with both Houses passing 12 Bills covering public examinations, national honour, registration of births and deaths, banking records, MSMEs, taxation, tribunals, mining and cooperative development.
The session, which began on July 20, saw 11 Bills introduced in the Lok Sabha and two in the Rajya Sabha. The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026 was referred to a Joint Committee of both Houses for examination and report.
Among the key legislation passed was the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, aimed at strengthening the integrity of the public examination system. It provides for investigation of offences within two months and trials within three months, besides enabling States and Union Territories to designate Special Fast Track Courts and appoint Special Public Prosecutors. The Bill has received the President’s assent.
The Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026 seeks to extend legal protection to Vande Mataram by making intentional obstruction of its singing or causing disturbance to an assembly engaged in its singing punishable under the relevant law.
The Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2026 introduces stricter verification for delayed registration. Registration after one year and up to two years would require approval from the competent Executive Magistrate, while registration after two years would require approval from a Judicial Magistrate of the First Class.
The MSME Development (Amendment) Bill, 2026 provides for a national digital platform for free and voluntary registration of MSMEs. It also seeks to improve access to finance, expedite resolution of delayed payment disputes and promote ease of doing business.
The Bankers’ Books Evidence Bill, 2026 expands the definition of bankers’ books to include physical, electronic, digital, virtual and cloud-based records, creating a technology-neutral legal framework for their authentication and production.
The Tribunals Reforms Bill, 2026 seeks to improve the efficiency, independence and transparency of tribunals and provides for a National Tribunals Commission. The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026 aims to provide greater certainty and predictability in the fiscal regime for the mineral sector.
The Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 seeks to amend the First Schedule to the Constitution to change the name of the state from “Kerala” to “Keralam”.
The session also dealt with the Demands for Excess Grants for 2022-23. The related Appropriation Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on August 4 and returned by the Rajya Sabha on August 6.
Meanwhile, repeated disruptions affected the functioning of the Houses. Rajya Sabha Chairman C. P. Radhakrishnan, in his valedictory remarks, expressed regret over the disorder, saying it affected scheduled business and limited opportunities for discussion and debate.
The Rajya Sabha functioned for 37 hours and 49 minutes, recording a productivity rate of 39.17 per cent. Of the 285 Starred Questions, 380 Zero Hour submissions and 380 Special Mentions listed during the session, only 16 questions, 52 Zero Hour submissions and 93 Special Mentions were taken up.
The Lok Sabha recorded approximately 19 per cent productivity.
The disruptions also led to sharp exchanges between the government and the Opposition. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju criticised the Congress over repeated obstruction of proceedings and said the government was dissatisfied that substantive discussions on important Bills could not take place.
