Why 2 Rajya Sabha MPs Were Invited as ‘Special’ to FCRA Bill Committee
Javed Ali Khan and James Pangsang Kongkal Sangma have been nominated as special invitees to the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the contentious Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026.
The Slate Staff Bureau
New Delhi, Sep 17 (PTI) In a rare move, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has nominated two Rajya Sabha members as “special invitees” to the joint parliamentary committee examining the contentious Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026.
A Lok Sabha bulletin on Wednesday said Javed Ali Khan and James Pangsang Kongkal Sangma have been nominated as special invitees to the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Bill.
Former Lok Sabha secretary general P D T Achari told PTI that Rule 299 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha states that MPs who are not members of the Select Committee may be present during the deliberations of the Committee but shall not address it or sit in the body of the panel.
A select committee of one House or a joint committee of the two Houses is constituted to examine a Bill, and its term ends upon the submission of a report.
Achari said members with special interests and specialisation in certain fields can be made special invitees, who can sit alongside officials in the same room during panel meetings. However, they cannot sit with members of the committee, he said.
The two MPs were nominated to the joint panel ahead of its first meeting on Friday.
The 31-member JPC was constituted earlier this month after Parliament referred the FCRA Bill to it for detailed examination. The panel comprises 21 members from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha.
The Bill was referred to the JPC amid opposition demands for its withdrawal.
Headed by BJP's Sanjay Jaiswal, the panel will examine the provisions of the Bill threadbare before coming out with a report.
(Inputs from PTI)
