What is Rule 267 in Rajya Sabha?

Published 23 July 2026 · local

The Opposition on July 22, 2026, submitted a notice under Rule 267 in the upper house of the Indian Parliament, the Rajya Sabha, amid ongoing

The Opposition on July 22, 2026, submitted a notice under Rule 267 in the upper house of the Indian Parliament, the Rajya Sabha, amid ongoing Cockroach Janta Party protests that saw protesters demanding educational reform. Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said, in the Rajya Sabha, that the discussion must happen under ‘Rule 267.’ What is Rule 267? Rule 267 is a parliamentary procedure under the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business. It is listed in a document titled ‘Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Council of States(Rajya Sabha), ninth edition.’ The official text in the section titled ‘Suspension of Rules’ says “[Any member, may, with the consent of the Chairman, move that any rule may be suspended in its application to a motion related to the business listed before the Council of that day and if the motion is carried, the rule in question shall be suspended for the time being.

Provided further that this rule shall not apply where specific provision already exists for suspension of a rule under a particular chapter of the Rules]” Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha Harivansh Narayan Singh said that Rule 267 has been invoked in the “rarest of rare” cases The caveat in the rules is that a suspension can only occur for a matter already listed in the day’s business, meaning that the matter of discussion(business) should be listed in the topics for discussion in the Rajya Sabha for that day. Why has the Opposition invoked Rule 267? The main demands of the Opposition include discussions in the Rajya Sabha on the NEET paper leaks, the alleged use of excessive force by the Delhi Police against protesters on July 20, 2026, and the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Has Rule 267 been invoked before? A report in The Hindu noted that Rule 267 has been invoked 11 times in the Rajya Sabha between 1990 and 2016, with the last instance being in November 2016 concerning the demonitisation of bank notes in the country. On April 23, 2015, the House had set aside its business to discuss farmer issues and agrarian crisis. Does Lok Sabha have a similar rule? The Lok Sabha does not have a direct equivalent of Rule 267 like the Rajya Sabha. But it has adjournment motions, governed by Rules 56 to 63. [Subject to the provisions of these rules, a motion for an adjournment of the business of the House for the purpose of discussing a definite matter of urgent public importance,] says Rule 56 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha.

Lok Sabha MPs also frequently raise urgent matters without prior notice during ‘Zero Hour’ which immediately follows ‘Question Hour.’