Jammu: The Rules Committee, tasked with framing new ‘Business Rules’ for the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, held its first meeting .
However, the absence of four out of nine members hindered significant progress. The panel decided to thoroughly review the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act 2019 and its subsequent amendments before drafting the new rules.
The meeting, chaired by Assembly Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather in his capacity as ex-officio Chairman, was attended by only four members: Mubarak Gul (NC), Pawan Gupta (BJP), M.Y. Tarigami (CPM), and Nizam-ud-Din Bhat (Congress). The absent members included Saifullah Mir and Hasnain Masoodi (both NC), Ranbir Singh Pathania (BJP), and Muzaffar Iqbal Khan, an Independent MLA from Thannamandi. Despite the absentees, the meeting proceeded as the quorum requirement was met.
During the session, the committee reached a consensus to exclude references to the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir, as it no longer holds validity. Members emphasized the need for an in-depth study of the Reorganization Act and its amendments before drafting the rules.
“We are now a Union Territory, and this is the reality we must work within,” a member remarked during the meeting. However, concerns were raised about the timing, with some members suggesting that drafting rules now might require revisiting the process if statehood is restored to J&K in the future.
The committee also resolved to examine the governance models of Delhi and Puducherry, the only two other Union Territories with legislatures, to guide the rule-framing process for Jammu and Kashmir.
Although the panel has been directed to finalize the draft Business Rules before the upcoming budget session in mid-February, members expressed doubts about completing the extensive exercise within the stipulated timeframe. They cited provisions in the Reorganization Act that allow the Assembly to operate under existing rules until the new ones are finalized.
The upcoming draft Business Rules will be presented in the Legislative Assembly for approval. The framing of these rules has become essential following the abrogation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir into the Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh.
The PDP, which has three MLAs in Kashmir, was notably excluded from representation on the Rules Committee.
While the Legislative Assembly’s order for forming the committee emphasized the urgency of completing the task before the budget session, the complexity of the exercise raises questions about whether the deadline can be realistically met. The last budget session, held from November 4–8, 2024, in Srinagar, was conducted under the existing rules.
