Opposition's motion to remove Dhankhar as Rajya Sabha chairman rejected

Opposition's motion to remove Dhankhar as Rajya Sabha chairman rejected
19 Dec 2024

The deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha has rejected the opposition's no-confidence motion against Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, citing a lack of 14-day notice and Dhankhar's incorrect spelling.

"After carefully going through the provisions of the Constitution, the Rules of Rajya Sabha and past precedents, I observe, at the outset, that the motion is not in proper format," PTI quoted the ruling as saying.

Impeachment notice was aimed at damaging constitutional institution: Deputy chairman
Ruling

In the ruling, Harivansh Narayan Singh also said that the impeachment notice was aimed at damaging the constitutional institution of the country.

As per the 14-day rule mentioned in Article 67(B), a "vice president may be removed...by a resolution of the Council of States...and agreed to by the House of the People; but no resolution for the purpose of this clause shall be moved unless at least fourteen days' notice has been given of the intention to move the resolution."

Motion alleges Dhankhar of partisan conduct
Motion

The Congress-led Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) had moved the no-confidence motion against Dhankhar on December 10.

The motion, filed with the Rajya Sabha Secretariat, accuses Dhankhar of partisan conduct.

It has 60 signatures of MPs from various parties, including the Congress, Trinamool Congress (TMC), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Samajwadi Party (SP), Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).

Opposition's no-confidence motion unlikely to succeed
Motion prospects

The motion needs a simple majority in both Houses to be passed.

The opposition had filed the motion after the Parliament witnessed chaos as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and opposition MPs clashed over issues such as alleged links of Congress leader Sonia Gandhi with businessman George Soros.

BJP MPs accused their rivals of not letting Parliament function, but the opposition hit back, saying they weren't being allowed to raise important issues like violence in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal and farmers' protests.