Parliament Monsoon Session: Opposition protests disrupt House, Lok Sabha adjourned till 2 pm

New Delhi: The Monsoon Session of Parliament witnessed another stormy day on Tuesday after persistent protests by Opposition members forced the Lok Sabha to adjourn till 2 pm, disrupting Question Hour and delaying legislative business. 

The Opposition continued targeting the Centre over the alleged police action on students who marched to Parliament on July 20, while the government pressed ahead with an ambitious legislative agenda that includes key financial and banking reforms.

As soon as the Lok Sabha assembled, Speaker Om Birla appealed to members to allow the House to function smoothly and urged them to cooperate so that Question Hour could proceed.

However, Opposition MPs continued raising slogans, including 'Home Minister, answer us', demanding a response from Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the alleged lathi-charge and use of pellet guns on student protesters.

Birla reminded members that Parliament is the country's highest democratic institution and should be used to debate national issues and pass legislation rather than for slogan-shouting or displaying placards.

He also said that he had appealed to leaders of all political parties during the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting to ensure the smooth functioning of both Houses.

As the protests continued unabated, the Speaker adjourned proceedings till 2 pm.

The disruption comes amid repeated confrontations between the treasury benches and the Opposition during the Monsoon Session.

Opposition parties have been demanding discussions on the alleged Ram Temple donation theft controversy and the alleged police action against students protesting over the NEET-UG paper leak.

Ahead of the day's proceedings, Congress MP Sukhdeo Bhagat accused Amit Shah of avoiding Parliament and demanded that he apologise to students over the alleged police action.

Bhagat alleged that the government had become 'mute, deaf and scared' while refusing to respond to the Opposition's demands.

Despite the disruptions, the government has lined up several important legislative items in the Lok Sabha.

Key agenda for Tuesday

• Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026
• Appropriation (No.3) Bill, 2026
• Statement on the Income-tax (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026
• Consideration and passage of the Bankers' Books Evidence Bill, 2026
• Message from the Rajya Sabha on the MSME Development (Amendment) Bill, 2026
• Reports of the Public Accounts Committee
• Reports of the Committee on Government Assurances
• Reports of the Standing Committee on Housing and Urban Affairs

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is scheduled to introduce the Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which seeks to amend the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007, the Income-tax Act, 2025, and the Finance Act, 2026.

She will also move the Appropriation (No.3) Bill, 2026, seeking Parliament's approval for excess expenditure incurred during the financial year 2022-23, besides tabling a statement explaining the promulgation of the Income-tax (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026.

The Lok Sabha is also expected to consider and pass the Bankers' Books Evidence Bill, 2026, which seeks to replace the 125-year-old Bankers' Books Evidence Act, 1891, with a technology-neutral legal framework governing banking records.

The House will also receive a message from the Rajya Sabha regarding the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which was passed by the Upper House on Monday.

Outside the House, parliamentary committees are scheduled to meet during the day.

The Standing Committee on External Affairs will review India-Sri Lanka relations and the way ahead, while the Standing Committee on Defence will examine Defence Grants for 2026-27, review Sainik Schools, the Rashtriya Indian Military College and Rashtriya Military Schools, and discuss the modernisation and self-reliance of Defence Public Sector Undertakings with a focus on MSMEs.

The Lok Sabha had on Monday passed the Supreme Court Judges (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026, increasing the sanctioned strength of Supreme Court judges from 34 to 38.

The Bill was passed without discussion and is now awaiting consideration in the Rajya Sabha. So far, the Lok Sabha has cleared four Bills during the ongoing Monsoon Session.

Two of them, the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 and the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026, have already received approval from both Houses. The Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2026 is also awaiting consideration in the Rajya Sabha.

With only eight working days remaining before the Monsoon Session concludes on August 13, the continued disruptions threaten to affect the government's legislative agenda, even as political tensions between the ruling NDA and the Opposition show no signs of easing.