Motion : Notice, Conditions of Admissibility and Discussion

Notice of a Motion

Notice of a motion to discuss a matter of general public interest is to be given in writing addressed to the Secretary-General. No period of notice has been prescribed in regard to such motions nor do they require any seconder.

 Conditions of Admissibility of a Motion

(i) it should raise substantially one definite issue;

(ii) it should not contain arguments, inferences, ironical expressions, imputations or defamatory statements;

(iii) it should not refer to the conduct or character of persons except in their public capacity;

(iv) it should be restricted to a matter of recent occurrence;

(v) it should not raise a question of privilege;

(vi) it should not revive discussion of a matter which has been discussed in the same session;

(vii) it should not anticipate discussion of a matter which is likely to be discussed in the same session;

(viii) it should not relate to any matter which is under adjudication by a court of law having jurisdiction in any part of India;

(ix) if it contains a statement the member should make himself responsible for the accuracy of the statement;

(x) it shall not seek discussion on a paper or document laid on the Table by a private member;

(xi) it should not ordinarily relate to matters which are under consideration of a Parliamentary Committee;

(xii) it should not ask for expression of opinion or the solution of an abstract legal question or of a hypothetical proposition;

(xiii) it should not relate to a matter which is not primarily the concern of the Government of India;

(xiv) it should not raise matter under the control of bodies or persons not primarily responsible to the Government of India;

(xv) it should not relate to a matter with which a Minister is not officially concerned;

(xvi) it should not refer discourteously to a friendly foreign country;

(xvii) it should not relate to or seek disclosure of information about matters which are in their nature secret such as Cabinet discussions or advice given to the President in relation to any matter in respect of which there is a constitutional, statutory or conventional obligation not to disclose information and

(xviii) it should not relate to a trivial matter.

What happens when a motion is admitted?

• The admitted motions are published in Bulletin Part-II from time to time. 

• In case, a motion given notice of by a private member is admitted and no date is fixed for its discussion, it is published in the Bulletin Part-II under the heading “No-Day-Yet-Named-Motion”, in the names of members who have given notices of such motions.

Procedure for Discussion of motions

• It is the Business Advisory Committee which selects the motion(s) for discussion in the House according to the urgency and importance of the subject and allots time for the same.

•  An item is included in the list of business for the allotted day in the names of the members in whose name the motion has been admitted.

• The first member or in his absence the second one and so on, when called by the Chairman, moves the motion and makes his speech.

• Thereafter, the Chair places the motion before the House. Amendments, if any, are moved at that stage and discussion follows.

• After the members and the Minister concerned have participated in the debate, the mover of the motion may reply.

• The amendments are then put to the House and disposed of.

• The main motion is then put to vote. However, a general motion like a policy or statement or any other matter taken into consideration, may just be talked out without the House recording its opinion one way or the other.

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