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P Chidambaram appointed as member of Parliamentary panel on home affairs
Chidambaram’s appointment comes at a time when the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs is discussing the three proposed bills that are aimed at replacing the criminal justice laws
Senior Congress Rajya Sabha member of Parliament (MP) P Chidambaram has been appointed as a member of the 8th Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs (SCOHA) by Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar. The former Union minister will replace Congress leader P Bhattacharya, whose Rajya Sabha term ended on August 18. The Rajya Sabha chairman has also appointed Congress MP Jairam Ramesh as the chairman of the Committee on Science and Technology, Environment, Forests and Climate Change.
“The Chairman, Rajya Sabha, has in consultation with the Speaker, Lok Sabha, re-constituted the eight Department–related Parliamentary Standing Committees, coming under the administrative jurisdiction of the Chairman, Rajya Sabha, w.e.f. September 13, 2023.” a Rajya Sabha notification said.
SCOHA is a department related standing committee (DRSC) of selected members of Parliament, constituted by the Parliament of India, for the purpose of legislative oversight of the domestic policy, internal security and decision making of the Ministry of Home Affairs. The committee is currently headed by Brijlal, a member of the Rajya Sabha and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). It currently consists of 31 other members from various political parties of both the Houses of Parliament.
Chidambaram’s appointment comes at a time when the SCOHA is discussing the three proposed bills that are aimed at replacing the criminal justice laws.
On August 11, the last day of the monsoon session of Parliament, Union home minister Amit Shah introduced three new bills in the Lok Sabha: the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Bill, 2023 to replace the Indian Penal Code, 1860; the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita Bill (BNSS), 2023 to replace the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898; and the Bharatiya Sakhshya Bill (BSB), 2023 to replace Indian Evidence Act, 1872.
SCOHA began its deliberations on the three bills on Thursday and as per reports, several members of the INDIA bloc had objected to the Hindi titles of the Bills saying that it is violative of the Article 348 that mandates use of English for all the Bills and Acts.
