A dramatic confrontation unfolded in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday morning when BJP MP Adiya Prasad inexplicably withdrew his own starred question—originally listed as Question No. 2—addressed to Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the government’s plan to expand and modernise Central Forensic Science Laboratories in line with the mandatory evidence-collection provisions of the three new criminal laws that came into force in 2024.

The question, which had been accepted as starred and therefore entitled to a detailed oral reply followed by supplementary queries, was intended to put the government on record regarding timelines, funding, and infrastructure upgrades for forensic facilities—a subject repeatedly flagged by legal experts and the judiciary as a critical bottleneck in delivering speedy justice under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam.

When Rajya Sabha Chairman CP Radhakrishnan moved past the question without explanation and members noticed a subsequent correction slip marking it “withdrawn,” Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, supported by MPs from TMC, DMK, and other Opposition parties, rose in protest, demanding to know why a ruling-party MP had chosen to pull back a question that would have compelled the Home Minister to disclose concrete progress on a matter of national importance.

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Chairman Radhakrishnan firmly invoked Rule 53 of the Rajya Sabha rules, which grants absolute discretion to any member to withdraw their question at any stage without requiring justification, and repeatedly rejected Opposition demands to either summon the BJP MP to explain his decision or allow another member to adopt the question, stating that the Chair has no authority to interfere with a member’s parliamentary privilege.

As the Chair ordered the remarks expunged from the record and insisted on proceeding with the remaining Question Hour, an incensed Opposition accused the treasury benches of orchestrating the withdrawal to shield the government from scrutiny on forensic delays, culminating in a coordinated walkout that briefly emptied the Opposition side of the House and cast a shadow over the day’s proceedings.

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