Jammu, Feb 7, 2025: On the eve of the first ever budget session of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Budget Session 2025 in the capacity of Union Territory (UT), the Department of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs has directed the high ranking officials to follow the legislative process and business in letter and spirit.
The first budget session of the J&K Legislative Assembly is set to commence from March 3, 2025, and instructions have been passed to all concerned departments to follow proper law and procedure for ensuring transparency and expeditious governance.
Directives Issued by Law Department to Administrative Heads
To facilitate the smooth conduct of budget session 2025 of J&K Legislative Assembly, the Law Department has advised:
- All financial commissioners (additional chief secretaries), principal secretaries and commissioners secretaries to follow rules related to legislative questions, proposals and discussions in letter and spirit.
- Administrative Secretaries and Heads of Departments HODs to be present in the House whenever matters pertaining to their respective Departments are taken up for discussion: Chief Minister.
- The bills/legislative proposals to be submitted in advance for legal vetting before introducing the same in Assembly.
Legislative clarity, legal accuracy, and procedural efficiency in legislation.
Legal Vetting & Procedural Compliance for the Budget Session
J&K Business Transaction Rules 2019 Reference
Part-C of Transaction of the Business of the Government of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir Rules, 2019 has been made an integral part of the Government of J&K. This section provides the required conditions (attending to your House meeting and consulting the Law Department) to introduce legislation.
According to these rules:
- All the rules and notifications to be issued under the specific Acts must be placed before the J&K Legislative Assembly in the budget session.
- Legislative proposals which require the recommendation of the Lieutenant Governor under Section 36 of the J&K Re organisation Act, 2019, shall be submitted to the Lieutenant Governor’s Secretariat at least 21 days in advance.
Failure to comply with these regulations, however, will incur delay or even legal challenge in the course of budget session.
The Importance of Submitting Draft Bills Early
All draft bills/ legislative proposals should be submitted well in time before the budget session for a comprehensive legal review, the department of law, justice and parliamentary affairs has directed. This ensures:
- Adequate time for legal review and changes if necessary.
- Smooth & Efficient legislative action without needless procedural holdups.
- Adherence to all constitutional and legal provisions applicable to the legislative framework in J&K.
Further, Departments implementing specific Acts and policies are also required to lay before the Legislative Assembly the rules or notifications issued under those Acts and policies as prescribed by law.
Why this budget session of J&K is Special — 5 key highlights
This is the historical and political significance of the budget session, the first full-fledged budget session of J&K as Union Territory after abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. The budget session will elaborate the financial trajectory of the J&K on the following aspects:
- Projects are revolving around development in infrastructure, education, healthcare and employment.
- Administrative Efficiency through Security and Governance Policies
- New policies to spur growth in the region
The Union Budget session is likely to be hotly debated on the floor of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, and each Opposition party will try to question the Centre government on big key policies which the ruling government would lay out along with its spending plan.
What’s Next? Legislative Process & What to Expect
Now, with all these penalties for violations of procedure, a lot of this activity is governed by rules which ensure that this will have a structured and disciplined atmosphere on the floor of the house for law and order. The government is set to unveil:
- Legislative changes and amendments to existing laws.
- Sectors with key financial allocations.
- Debate over governance reforms in the legislature.
Possible drawbacks and other issues
Despite the government’s insistence on legislative discipline, though, issues such as:
- Political clashes and distractions.
- The scrutiny of such financial allocations would continue, the opposition vowed.
- Some proposals may face legal hurdles.
…could emerge, making it a high-stakes session for governance in J&K.
Conclusion
As the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) budget session 2025 approaches, with sessions scheduled to begin on March 3, the latest edict from the Law Department will make the legislative process smooth, legally valid, and transparent. They have also been asked to follow the prescribed legislative process, keeping in mind that each bill and proposal is within the child’s play in the legal structure of Jammu and Kashmir as a Union Territory.
The maiden budget session of J&K under new administrative arrangement is indeed a significant event that will influence the governance and development in the region for years to come.
