Adjournment Motion

Adjournment Motion: Meaning

Adjournment Motion is said to be an extraordinary practice as it interrupts the normal meetings in the Lok Sabha. This kind of motion can only be moved in the Lok Sabha and never in the Rajya Sabha. The purpose of the adjournment motion, which must receive the support of 50 members to be accepted, is to call the House's attention to a specific issue of urgent public significance.

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It might be considered one of the crucial tools used in legislative processes. To paraphrase, the adjournment motion is an exceptional procedure that, if approved, results in the suspension of the House's regular business in order to consider a specific issue of critical public significance. Because it interferes with the House's routine activity, it is viewed as an exceptional instrument.

Key Points of Adjournment Motion

Below, there are some key points about the notion of Adjournment Motion,

• It is regarded as a censure against the government; hence, it cannot be used in the Rajya Sabha.
• Once the motion is passed in Lok Sabha, it can affect the regular ongoing meetings and can be transformed into a full-length debate. However, the meetings after an Adjournment Motion cannot exceed more than two hours and thirty minutes.
• The major objective of an Adjournment Motion is to bring forth a serious issue that is of public concern and with severe repercussions. It must be mentioned that such an issue cannot wait for resolution with proper notice.
• The matter proposed should be directly or indirectly related to the default on the part of the Union Government.
• It must mention the failure of the Indian Government in performing its duties according to the Indian Constitution.
• The Chair can refuse the Adjournment Motion without stressing the reasons for the refusal.

Restrictions of the Adjournment Motion

The right to introduce an Adjournment Motion is subject to certain restrictions. They are:

• The matter raised should strictly be very urgent, factual, definite, and of public concern.
• It should be focused on the proposed matter. No other matter should be covered in the meeting.
• The matter being discussed should be of recent occurrence.
• No such matter is allowed to be moved in, which has already been discussed in previous sessions.
• It is not allowed to raise any question of privilege.
• It cannot be used to discuss any matter already under the court's adjudication.
• No such issue can be discussed in an Adjournment Motion, which can also be raised in any distinct motion.

Adjournment Motion: Procedure of Notice

The procedure of notice for an Adjournment Motion has been explained below;

• All copies of the notice should be submitted to the Parliamentary Notice Office.
• A member can only submit one notice.
• A notice is deemed to be given by the first signatory if it holds multiple signatures.
• A ballot is held which confirms the priority of the notices submitted for the same matter.
• Only notices which are given in writing are accepted.
• The concerning matter needs to be supported by 50 members.
• The Lok Sabha Speaker may read out or hear out the notice and ask for a brief statement regarding the issue concerned before giving their decision of affirmation or rejection for such a meeting.

An Adjournment Motion is a one-of-its-kind motion that empowers the members of Lok Sabha to prioritise issues that need quick decision-making. It breaks the hierarchy of the Parliament in moving a matter to debate and gives a constitutional right to the members to point out faults of the Central Government relating to the issue.