New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to examine a request to constitute a bench to conduct hearings on petitions challenging the validity of the passage of laws, like the Aadhaar Act, by the Modi government as money bills.
A money bill is a piece of legislation, which can be introduced only in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha cannot amend or reject it. The Rajya Sabha can only make recommendations, which may or may not be accepted by the Lok Sabha. The BJP currently has 86 MPs and the ruling NDA 101 in the 245-member Rajya Sabha where the majority mark is 123.
Today, senior advocate Kapil Sibal contended before a bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud and comprising justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra that the pleadings are complete. Sibal pressed that the petitions needed to be listed for hearing, as the matter is already there on the list of scheduled constitution bench hearings. Sibal urged the court to begin hearing on the matter on a priority basis.
The CJI told Sibal that he would take the call when to form the constitution benches. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, who is one of the petitioners, moved the apex court assailing the passage of the Aadhaar Act of 2016 as a money bill under Article 110 of the Constitution. The Aadhaar Act and the amendments to the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) have been passed as money bills. The Opposition claims it was done as the NDA lacked the majority then.
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