Live: Parliament Monsoon Session Updates: Chaos persists as opposition protests trigger adjournments

Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress president and Leader of the Opposition, launched a fierce broadside against the ruling dispensation over the crackdown on student demonstrators in Delhi. "This government is wielding batons against the nation's youth and students. If you lack the ability to hold examinations properly... then give up the seat of power — the people will take over! These people have no business being in government," Kharge declared.

Demonstrations on the Lok Sabha floor showed no sign of dying down, compelling yet another adjournment — this time to 3 in the afternoon. Jagdambika Pal, who was presiding, made clear his displeasure at members crowding the Well of the House and urged them to allow Zero Hour to proceed uninterrupted. When calm could not be restored, he adjourned the sitting until 3 p.m.

When the Rajya Sabha reconvened after its earlier break, the scenes were a mirror image of the morning — Opposition members remained on their feet in protest, making normal proceedings impossible. Harivansh, in the Chair, appealed to members to let the session continue without further disruption. Unable to bring order to the chamber, he adjourned the Upper House for the remainder of the day.

The Lok Sabha resumed its sitting with Jagdambika Pal occupying the Chair. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju rose to make his point, but the Opposition's agitation showed no sign of letting up. Pal called on Opposition MPs to refrain from holding up placards inside the chamber. With disorder persisting, he suspended the proceedings until 2:30 in the afternoon.

The Rajya Sabha resumed its sitting with Deputy Chairman Harivansh in the chair. He told the House that the Business Advisory Committee, at its meeting held earlier today, had set aside time exclusively for legislative business. The Opposition benches erupted in fresh protests at this announcement, refusing to let proceedings move forward. Deputy Chairman Harivansh then adjourned the House until 2.30 p.m.

The upper chamber of Parliament faced another adjournment, pushing its next sitting to 2 p.m. Meanwhile, Chairman Radhakrishnan has summoned a meeting of the Business Advisory Committee to take place at 1 p.m.

Through a message on social media, the Cockroach Janta Party expressed its appreciation to LoP Kharge for speaking up about the ongoing student protests in the Rajya Sabha.

As the Lok Sabha reconvened, clamorous demonstrations from the opposition benches persisted. Presiding officer Dilip Saikia attempted to restore decorum, but the protesting members remained firm on their demands. Mr. Saikia urged the members to let the proceedings continue and initiate Zero Hour to deliberate on critical national matters, noting that such conduct does not support democratic values. He questioned multiple times whether the opposition intended to let the House function. Ultimately, the Lok Sabha was adjourned until 1 p.m.

When the Upper House met again at 12:30 p.m., the shouting and chaos did not cease, leading to another brief adjournment till 12:50 p.m.

Mallikarjun Kharge, the Leader of the Opposition, shared a video snippet of his address in the Upper House on X today, asserting that the administration led by PM Modi is trying to stifle the aspirations and voices of young people.

Rajya Sabha Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge shared a video excerpt of his parliamentary address on social media platform X. In his post, the senior leader accused the Modi administration of attempting to stifle the opinions and demands of the country's youth.

Although legislative business restarted in both Houses, relentless demonstrations in the Upper House prompted Chairman Radhakrishnan to suspend the sitting for an additional half-hour. The Rajya Sabha is scheduled to assemble again at 12:30 p.m. In the meantime, the Lower House continued its work despite persistent shouting of slogans and protests by opposition legislators.

Commotion erupted in the Upper House when Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge highlighted the issue of leaked exam question papers and the ongoing student demonstrations in Delhi. He asserted that the ruling administration is trying to crush these public agitations. Following strong counter-protests and loud complaints from treasury bench members against Kharge's statements, Chairman Radhakrishnan briefly suspended proceedings until 12 p.m.

Expressing his desires for a highly constructive legislative term, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that he looks forward to a positive monsoon season as well as an equally productive session of Parliament. He emphasized the importance of empowering the nation's youth and lauded the strength of India's economy in the face of global difficulties.

Due to persistent chanting of slogans by opposition members and despite repetitive appeals for order by Speaker Om Birla, the Lok Sabha was suspended for an hour, with plans to reconvene at 12 p.m.

The parliamentary Monsoon Session starts on July 20, 2026, and is set to wrap up on August 13. Earlier, on April 17, a unified opposition managed to block the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill. This proposed law aimed to realign Lok Sabha constituencies using data from the 2011 Census and clear the path for women's legislative quotas. While 298 out of 528 voting MPs supported the draft, it did not secure the mandatory two-thirds consensus required for constitutional amendments. This legislative period opens under a cloud of rumors regarding the reintroduction of disputed draft laws and continuous pushback from opposition benches.

Following the reading of condolence messages, Speaker Om Birla attempted to initiate Question Hour. However, opposition lawmakers demanded immediate debates on several issues, a request turned down by the Speaker who insisted on maintaining parliamentary discipline. Opposition representatives continuously shouted slogans in the chamber. Despite the disturbances, Question Hour went ahead.

The members of the Lok Sabha observed a moment of silence and paid their respects to the late former ruler of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani.

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Sittings have officially started in both parts of Parliament. Speaker Om Birla is presiding over the Lok Sabha, while Vice-President C.P. Radhakrishnan is leading the Rajya Sabha proceedings. The Lower House initiated its session by remembering deceased dignitaries, whereas the Upper House began with newly elected representatives taking their oaths of office.

Congress lawmaker Syed Naseer Hussain submitted an adjournment notice in the Rajya Sabha, seeking a debate on the "systemic crisis in India's examination system". "The House may discuss the cancellation of NEET-UG 2026 following the exposure of an alleged paper-leak network affecting over 22 lakh candidates, widespread irregularities in the implementation of CBSE’s On-Screen Marking system, recurring failures in recruitment examinations, and the resulting loss of public confidence in the integrity of examinations. These developments have caused immense hardship and psychological distress to students across the country and have led to ongoing nationwide protests demanding accountability and comprehensive examination reforms. In view of these pressing concerns, the matter requires urgent consideration and discussion by the House," he said in his notice.

Congress representative Hibi Eden has submitted an adjournment motion in the Lok Sabha, demanding a debate on "recurring question paper leaks" and the demonstrations organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) at Delhi's Jantar Mantar. "Repeated controversies surrounding examinations such as NEET-UG and UGC-NET have caused immense mental trauma, financial hardship, and uncertainty for students and their families. The repeated cancellation and rescheduling of examinations due to administrative failures have shattered the confidence of aspirants. The resulting stress and uncertainty have also been linked to incidents of student suicides, making this a serious humanitarian concern," Mr. Eden said in his notice. "The Government must accept responsibility for these repeated failures, implement comprehensive reforms, and restore transparency and fairness. In view of the repeated breakdown of the examination system under his watch, the Union Minister for Education, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, should accept moral responsibility and resign forthwith," he said.

Before the scheduled start of the parliamentary Monsoon Session on Monday, Congress legislator Manish Tewari delivered an adjournment motion notice in the Lok Sabha, urging for a pause in the daily agenda to debate the requirement for a stricter anti-defection law. He stressed the need to stop "mass political defections" which he described as self-serving. Addressing the Lok Sabha Secretary General, Tewari requested that the House put aside Question Hour, Zero Hour, and other scheduled tasks to focus on designing a new framework against floor-crossing. "I move that this House do suspend Question Hour, Zero Hour and all other listed business of the day to discuss the contours of a new Anti-Defection Law that proscribes Mass Political Defections driven by opportunism and bereft of any genuine ideological or policy differences while simultaneously providing space for honest and critical dissent both inside and outside Parliament and the legislatures," the Congress MP said in his notice. -ANI

On Monday, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla advocated for high-quality discussions and citizen-focused choices during the sessions of the House. Writing on the platform X, Birla noted that Parliament, as the ultimate sanctuary of democracy, represents the peak of public hopes, dreams, and confidence. He added that every session offers a vital avenue for legislators to convert these public expectations into purposeful discussions, sound legislation, and proactive work geared toward national development. "It is hoped that all honourable members will participate in the proceedings of the House with a spirit of positive cooperation, while respecting the spirit of the Constitution, parliamentary traditions, and decorum. The completion of the maximum legislative and other parliamentary business is our collective responsibility. This is the best means to strengthen public trust and elevate the dignity of democratic institutions even further. "Let us all together make a collective effort to conduct this session with meaningful deliberation, people-centric decisions, and in accordance with parliamentary dignity."

Speaking ahead of the legislative session on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged for a seamless conduct of parliamentary affairs. "There are many senior and experienced MPs in our Parliament, and we should make sure we conduct a successful session," the Prime Minister says. "I hope we can have a smooth session this time. I hope we get to discuss all important issues, and we make sure everybody gets an opportunity to speak", he adds. PM Modi ends his address.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated on Monday that India's economy is expanding at a steady rate of 7.7 percent, notwithstanding the ongoing geopolitical conflict in West Asia. He explained that although the international crisis posed significant challenges for the country, which relies heavily on fuel imports, the nation's economic progress remains on track. The Prime Minister credited this positive trend to the collective efforts and hard work of all Indian citizens.

On Monday, Prime Minister Modi highlighted that India has become one of the global pioneers in launching a green hydrogen train, attributing this major feat to the country's youth, engineers, and scientists. This remark followed his action on Friday, when he officially launched the nation's debut hydrogen-driven train in Haryana.

During an interaction with the press on Monday, Prime Minister Modi remarked that the successful flight of Vikram-1 exemplifies the potential of India's young generation. He further noted that policy changes introduced by his administration have empowered the youth to venture into ambitious projects and take bold steps. The country reached a significant landmark in its space endeavors on Saturday, July 18, 2026, when Vikram-1—which is the nation's inaugural privately built orbital vehicle—smoothly deployed several technology-demonstrator payloads into low Earth orbit.

Speaking to reporters before the start of the Monsoon Session, PM Modi expressed his desire for a highly effective and constructive legislative sitting. He voiced his optimism that both the weather of the monsoon and the parliamentary sessions would prove to be highly fruitful.

On the opening day of the Monsoon Session on Monday, Union Minister L. Murugan is scheduled to introduce a proposal to induct Rajya Sabha members Bhim Singh and Sagarika Ghose into the Joint Committee. This decision comes after the resignations of Saket Gokhale and Bhubaneswar Kalita from their respective parliamentary roles, which left two vacant spots in the Rajya Sabha.

The CPI(M) has voiced its opposition to the proposed Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, labeling the legislation as unconstitutional and a violation of fundamental rights.

1. Swearing-in and solemn affirmation of members 2. Condolence messages and obituary tributes 3. Scheduled Question Hour

1. Paying tribute to deceased members 2. Discussion during Question Hour 3. Presentation of The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026, by Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal.

A draft law to replace an ordinance that expanded the Supreme Court's bench strength from 34 to 38 judges, including the Chief Justice of India, is set to be presented in the Lower House on Monday. While the Union Cabinet had approved a proposal to raise the sanctioned strength of the country's highest court in May, the administration shortly after promulgated an ordinance to enforce the change. Following the enactment of the ordinance, five new justices were inducted to the apex court in line with the upgraded sanctioned strength. This legislative proposal does not necessitate a constitutional amendment and can be cleared with a simple majority in the Parliament.