J&K Assembly speaker has called the sharing of notices, submitted for the upcoming budget session, publicly by MLAs a breach of privilege. Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather expressed his displeasure over the development and said it was improper for the legislators to do so.
"According to parliamentary rules and traditions, it is not appropriate to publicise notices of questions, bills, resolutions or other house matters before they are discussed," Rather said in a statement. His reaction came after a party started a media campaign about the notices they submitted.
Ms.@MehboobaMufti to Abdul Rahim Rather; "Your duty as Speaker is to protect MLAs' rights, not to intimidate them by saying that no bill or resolution should be discussed outside the assembly. Every bill, resolution & question brought forth must be made public & openly debated. pic.twitter.com/hvT7DXTHa8
— THE JKPDP (@1JKPDP) February 23, 2025
Rather expressed sharing such information openly could be considered a breach of privilege. He also instructed the legislators not to repeat the act in future. A spokesperson for the assembly said the speaker had clearly instructed members to follow the rules. He urged members to respect parliamentary traditions and not to reveal house business too soon.
While Rathar Sahab may be concerned with preserving the sanctity of legislative proceedings, as Speaker, his primary role is to safeguard the rights of members, not to act as a censor. Transparency and public awareness of legislative activities should not be seen as an… https://t.co/Hc7jfqqgAC
— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) February 23, 2025
In a strong response to the speaker’s criticism, People's Democratic Party president and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti accused the speaker of enforcing a type of "martial law". Mufti said the speaker’s job is to protect the rights of house members, not to act as a censor. "While Rather wants to maintain the dignity of the house, his main duty as speaker is to protect members' rights, not to censor them," she posted on X.
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The PDP chief argued that transparency and keeping the public informed should not be seen as breaking parliamentary traditions. "In fact, sharing information about notices, questions and resolutions in advance improves accountability. Many important bills, such as the recent Waqf Bill, are debated publicly for months," she said. "Sadly, Rather, despite being an experienced politician, seems to be enforcing martial law while holding a constitutional position," she added.
Meanwhile, in Pulwama, Mufti’s daughter Iltija Mufti, took part in her party’s signature campaign demanding a ban on alcohol in Jammu and Kashmir. The budget session starting in the first week of March is expected to be stormy as some important bills including ban on the sale of liquor in Jammu and Kashmir and ownership rights to houses built on state land etc, are likely to be tabled. The upcoming session will be held in Jammu.
