MPs in the Lok Sabha during the Monsoon session of Parliament, in New Delhi, on Tuesday
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The Lok Sabha has passed nine Bills over the past fortnight in a collective 52 minutes, averaging less than six minutes per legislation. One Bill pertaining to registration of births and deaths was passed in just one minute.A businessline analysis of Lok Sabha proceedings shows that three Bills were passed in two minutes or less, five in six minutes or less and seven in nine minutes or less. The Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill took the longest, 14 minutes. The calculation excludes the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, which was debated in the House.The Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill was passed in barely one minute, between 12.07 pm and 12.08 pm on July 31. The MSME Development (Amendment) Bill took two minutes on August 7, while the Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill was cleared in two minutes on August 6.The taxation legislation, which replaces a June Ordinance and amends provisions relating to income tax, finance and electronic payments, was particularly significant. It provides for the removal of certain references in tax law and clarifies that banks and payment system providers cannot impose charges on specified electronic payments. The legislation also leaves open the possibility of MDR being levied on electronic payment modes outside a government-notified negative list.Yet, the Bill was passed in two minutes.The Bankers’ Book Evidence Bill took four minutes, while the Tribunals Reforms Bill was passed in five minutes on August 11. The latter proposes a National Tribunals Commission to oversee appointments and administration of tribunals, amid a long-running executive-judiciary tussle over tribunal independence. The proposed institutional model has also been suggested by the government as a possible template for judicial appointments.The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, which alters the statutory strength of the apex court amid substantial pendency, took six minutes. The Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill and National Co-operative Development Corporation (Amendment) Bill took nine minutes each.Statutory protectionThe Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, which gives Vande Mataram statutory protection akin to the national anthem, took 14 minutes.As the passage of the Bill entailed no discussion, MPs have taken to voicing their views outside Parliament. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor pointed out that while the national anthem takes about 52 seconds, the full Vande Mataram takes over three minutes. He said in States like Tamil Nadu, where the State Song too would be sung in public functions, it would add another two minutes. He asked whether audiences could reasonably be expected to stand for several minutes before and after every function. “Can respect and patience be legislated?” he asked.Published on August 11, 2026
