Rajya Sabha adjourned till Wednesday amid protests over NEET row

Seeing continuing vociferous protests by the Opposition over its demand, the Chair adjourned the House till Wednesday.

New Delhi: Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day on Tuesday, July 28, due to pandemonium caused by opposition parties seeking to raise the issue of police actions against NEET paper leak demonstrators in the national capital.

As soon as the House reassembled after lunch, following an adjournment within minutes after it convened for the first time at 11 AM, Deputy Chairman Harivansh took up government legislative business.

Amid din, Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi introduced the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (Amendment) Bill, which was mentioned for introduction in the list of business.

“There is a need to improve and modify the (original Act) made in 2006,” Manjhi said.

After the introduction of the bill, Harivansh asked the protesting members to “move to (the) other bill”.

The Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026 — which was listed for consideration and passing in the list of business — seeks to make desecration of or disrespect toward the country’s national symbols, including the national flag, the Constitution, and the national anthem, a criminal offence, carrying a punishment of up to three years’ imprisonment.

The House could not take up discussion on the national honours bill, to amend The Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, due to uproarious scenes by the opposition members.

“So you don’t want to run the House proceedings?” Harivansh asked the protesting legislators.

Seeing continuing vociferous protests by the Opposition over its demand, the Chair adjourned the House till Wednesday.

The Rajya Sabha has been witnessing repeated disruptions since the beginning of the Monsoon session on July 20 over the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) — a medical entrance examination — paper leak issue.

Earlier during the day, the Upper House was adjourned without conducting any business in the pre-lunch session, following opposition parties’ protest over the use of alleged force by police personnel on NEET paper leak demonstrators.

Trouble had broken out soon after listed official papers were laid on the table. Opposition MPs were up on their feet seeking to raise their various demands over the NEET paper leak issue.

They also demanded that Union Home Minister Amit Shah should come to the House and explain police actions.

As the din continued, the Chair adjourned the proceedings till 2 pm.

Later in a post on X, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said that the Rajya Sabha had to be adjourned for the day because of Shah’s “continued silence and non-appearance” in the House.

“Today Opposition MPs in the Rajya Sabha demanded a statement from the Union Home Minister on the atrocities committed on youth who were simply exercising their democratic right to protest at Jantar Mantar. Because of his continued silence and non-appearance in the House, the Rajya Sabha had to be adjourned for the day after the MSME Bill was introduced in the din,” he said.