Indian Parliament's winter session to begin on Dec 4, to have 15 sittings

The Winter Session of the Indian Parliament is slated to start on December 4, and will continue till December 22, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said on Thursday (Nov 9).

The session will be spread over 19 days, and will have 15 sittings, the minister added.

"Winter Session, 2023 of Parliament will commence from 4th December and continue till 22nd December having 15 sittings spread over 19 days. Amid Amrit Kaal looking forward to discussions on Legislative Business and other items during the session," he said on social media platform X.

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The winter session usually begins around November, but owing to assembly elections in five states — Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, and Telangana—it has been deferred to December.

Bills expected to be taken up in session

Though it is not declared officially what bills would be taken up in the session, it is widely believed that legislation pertaining to appointing the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and Election Commissioners (EC) would be taken up.

Introduced during the Monsoon session, the government could not table the bill during the special session of Parliament, given the opposition and former Chief Election Commissioners' protests.

The government seeks to elevate the status of the CEC and ECs to that of the Cabinet Secretary, currently enjoying the status of a Supreme Court judge.

Apart from that, another key legislation would be tabled that seeks to replace the Indian Penal Code, Criminal Procedure Code, and the Evidence Act during the session as the standing committee on Home has already adopted the three reports recently.

On August 11, Union Home Minister Amit Shah introduced three bills in the Lok Sabha that aim to repeal and replace the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), and the Indian Evidence Act, which were enacted during the British rule in India.

The bills are:Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita Bill, 2023, which will replace theIPC, 1860, theBhartiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita Bill, 2023, which will replace theCrPC1898; and theBharatiya Sakshya Bill, 2023, which will replace theEvidence Act, 1872.

The report of the Ethics Committee on the 'cash-for-query' allegations against TMC MP Mahua Moitra is also expected to be tabled in the Lok Sabha during the session. The House will have to adopt the report before the expulsion recommended by the panel comes into effect.