Lok Sabha Passes New Bankers’ Books Evidence Act, 2026

The Lok Sabha approved the Bankers’ Books Evidence Act, 2026, on a day marked by continuous opposition protests. This new legislation, passed by voice vote without any debate, aims to make digital and virtual records admissible as evidence in courts.

The bill’s passage will repeal and replace the existing Bankers’ Books Evidence Act of 1891. Its clearance occurred amidst significant disruptions, which ultimately led to the adjournment of the House for the entire day.

House Proceedings Amidst Disruption

Speaker Om Birla observed that protesting members had prevented Question Hour from functioning since the Monsoon Session began on July 20. He cautioned that raising slogans both inside and outside the House was not beneficial for democratic processes.

Initially, Speaker Birla adjourned the House until 2 PM due to the ongoing protests. When the House reconvened, opposition members continued their sloganeering, disregarding pleas from the Chair to discuss the proposed Bankers’ Books Evidence Act, 2026.

Reasons for Opposition Protests

The opposition’s persistent disruptions stemmed from several key issues they sought government responses on:

• Police action against students protesting at Jantar Mantar and other parts of the country.
• Concerns over the NEET paper leak.
• Allegations regarding the theft of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju commented on the situation, noting that while Congress leader K C Venugopal is a good person, he had been unable to control his party’s Members of Parliament. Following the bill’s passage by voice vote amid these disruptions, the House was subsequently adjourned for the day.