Assembly passes 3 key reform Bills with voice vote
Bivek Mathur
JAMMU, Mar 28: The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly witnessed high-voltage drama and an exchange of heated remarks over some “irrelevant amendment” moved by Congress legislator Nizamuddin Bhat, which was strongly opposed by BJP MLAs, as the House passed three key reform Bills on Saturday.
Follow the Daily Excelsior channel on WhatsApp
The confrontation began during discussion on L.A. Bill Number 02 of 2026, when Bhat, while referring to an alleged discriminatory provision of not appointing any person affected by leprosy as a member under the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Act, 1998, proposed an amendment in Section 8 of the same Act stating that no person “using religion as a divisive tool” should be appointed as a member of the Shrine Board.
His remarks immediately drew strong objections from BJP MLA Pawan Kumar Gupta, who argued that the Congress member was referring to an Act not being amended or under consideration in the House in order to “deliberately mislead” it.
“There is no justification for discussing amendments to a separate Act when it is neither listed nor being taken up for debate in this House. The Congress MLA is deliberately trying to mislead the House,” Gupta said.
Later, other BJP legislators, including Rajiv Jasrotia, Satish Sharma, Darshan Singh, Baldev Raj Sharma, Dr Rajiv Bhagat, Surinder Kumar Bhagat, Shakti Raj Parihar, Kuldeep Raj Dubey, Dr Sunil Bhardwaj, and Shagun Parihar, joined in, leading to noisy scenes and a brief disruption of the proceedings.
Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather intervened to restore order, observing that while members are free to draw references, they cannot seek to amend or debate provisions of another Act that is not before the House, and that he would not allow this.
He advised members not to be overly concerned about individual speeches but to remain within the scope of listed business.
Amid the uproar, NC MLA Nazir Ahmad Khan (Gurezi) urged the BJP members to allow Nizamuddin Bhat to continue his speech, calling for restraint.
However, senior NC leader and former judge Hasnain Masoodi offered a nuanced view, stating that the objection raised by the BJP members was justified to an extent, as it would be difficult in legal terms to determine whether an individual was using religion as a divisive tool.
With tempers continuing to run high, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah intervened to calm the situation, terming the controversy as “blown out of proportion.”
He clarified that the Assembly does have the power to propose amendments to laws, subject to due process and necessary approvals, and said it would be incorrect to suggest that members cannot bring forward such ideas.
However, the Chief Minister made it clear that the Government does not accept the amendment proposed by Bhat, stating that it goes beyond the scope and intent of the matter under discussion.
He emphasized that the Government’s objective is specific and limited—to remove discriminatory provisions against persons affected by leprosy, particularly those that prevent them from being considered for positions in boards and other Government institutions.
Addressing Bhat’s suggestion regarding the use of religion as a divisive tool, the Chief Minister also said that the concern may be well-intentioned but is difficult to define and implement in law, as interpretations may vary widely.
He expressed hope that individuals appointed to such bodies would act with fairness and responsibility, guided by their own conscience.
He urged the Congress MLA to withdraw the amendment in view of the Government’s assurance.
Accepting the clarification and what he termed as a “courageous statement” of the Chief Minister regarding the powers of the J&K Assembly and its members, Nizamuddin Bhat withdrew his proposal, bringing the heated exchanges in the House to a close.
Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly today passed three significant Bills by voice vote, marking a major step towards governance reforms, social justice, and strengthening of the judicial system in the Union Territory.
The Bills were moved by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and were cleared after being put to vote by Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather, with amendments moved by some legislators withdrawn following assurances from the Chief Minister.
Among them were L.A. Bill Number 01 of 2026, aimed at decriminalizing and rationalizing minor offences under various laws; L.A. Bill Number 02 of 2026, focusing on removing discriminatory provisions against persons suffering from leprosy; and L.A. Bill Number 03 of 2026, aimed at improving the efficiency of the judicial system.
The first legislation seeks to decriminalize and rationalize minor offences under various laws.
The Bill replaces imprisonment provisions in several Acts with monetary penalties to reduce criminalization of minor violations and promote trust-based governance.
Key amendments have been proposed in laws such as the J&K Municipal Act, 2000, the J&K Development Act, 1970, and the J&K State Town Planning Act, 1963.
Penalties for violations like the sale of substandard food and illegal tree felling have been significantly enhanced, while imprisonment clauses have been removed.
The reforms aim to improve ease of doing business and align J&K laws with the Centre’s Jan Vishwas framework.
The second legislation, L.A. Bill Number 02 of 2026, focuses on removing discriminatory provisions against persons suffering from leprosy.
The Bill deletes references such as “contagious leprosy” from various laws, including shrine-related Acts, which earlier disqualified such persons from holding positions in boards and institutions.
It also proposes repeal of the J&K Prevention of Beggary Act, 1960, which had already been struck down by the High Court.
The move aims to ensure dignity, equality, and non-discrimination, in line with constitutional principles, while recognizing that leprosy is now a curable disease.
The third legislation, L.A. Bill Number 03 of 2026, proposes amendments to the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Courts Act, 1977 (Svt), to improve the efficiency of the judicial system.
The Bill seeks to align the nomenclature of courts in J&K with the rest of the country by replacing terms like Munsiff and Subordinate Judge with Civil Judge (Junior Division) and Civil Judge (Senior Division).
It also proposes a significant increase in the pecuniary jurisdiction of Munsiffs from Rs 15,000 to Rs 10 lakh, addressing long-standing concerns over low financial limits and helping streamline case disposal.
Earlier, amendments proposed by legislators, including Nizamuddin Bhat, were withdrawn after the Chief Minister assured the House that the core objectives of the Bills would be achieved.
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister also laid on the Table of the House copies of key financial and audit documents pertaining to Jammu and Kashmir’s finances, including the Finance Accounts (Volume I) for the year 2023–24, Finance Accounts (Volume II) for the year 2023–24, Appropriation Accounts for the year 2023–24, and the Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India on Union Territory finances for the year 2022–23.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
