Parliament clears Essential Defence Services Bill

Rajya Sabha passed the Essential Defence Services Bill, 2021 on Thursday amid the opposition protest and sloganeering over the Pegasus snooping controversy and the issues of farm laws and price rise. Lok Sabha passed the bill on August 3.

Parliament on Thursday approved the Essential Defence Services Bill, 2021, that seeks to replace the ordnance promulgated in June 2021 and allows the government to prohibit strikes, lock-outs, and lay-offs in units engaged in essential defence services. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, however, said it has been wrongly claimed that this bill does not permit peaceful protests and added," I want to clarify that this bill does not obstruct the right to peaceful protest."