Adjournment motion

• An Adjournment Motion is a procedural device used in the Lok Sabha to draw attention to a definite matter of urgent public importance.

• It allows members to interrupt the normal business of the House and discuss critical issues.

• The motion involves an element of censure against the government.

Key Features:

• Applicability: The Adjournment Motion is introduced only in the Lok Sabha.

• Purpose: It aims to highlight urgent matters that require immediate attention.

• Support: To be admitted, the motion needs the support of at least 50 members.

• Duration of Discussion: The discussion on this motion should last for not less than two hours and thirty minutes.

Restrictions:

The motion must:

• Raise a definite, factual, urgent, and public importance matter.

• Not cover more than one issue.

• Be restricted to a specific matter of recent occurrence.

• Not revive discussions on a matter already discussed in the same session.

• Not deal with matters under court adjudication.

• Not raise questions of privilege.

• Not overlap with distinct motions.

Other Types of Motions in Indian Parliament:

• Privilege Motion: Raised when any of the members breaches the individual and collective privilege of the House.

• Censure Motion: Moves to censure individual ministers, a group of ministers, or the entire council of ministers.

• Call-Attention Motion: Seeks an authoritative statement from a minister on an urgent public matter.

• No-Day-Yet-Named Motion: Admitted by the Speaker but without a fixed discussion date.

• No Confidence Motion: Allows the Lok Sabha to remove the ministry by passing a no-confidence motion.