The 2026 Monsoon Session of the Parliament which commenced on July 20 and culminated on Thursday (August 13) witnessed the passing of 12 Bills wherein majority of them were passed without much debate.

11 Bills were introduced in the Lok Sabha while 2 Bills were introduced in Rajya Sabha– The Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026 The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (Amendment) Bill, 2026; both houses passed a total of 12 Bills. Meanwhile one Bill, The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026 was referred to the joint committee of both houses. As of August 14, the President of India gave her assent to 14 Bills which are now laws.

Notably, out of the 12 Bills, only two bills witnessed debates while others were passed without much discussion, PTI reported. The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill was passed after discussion for over 10 hours wherein 48 Members of Parliament in the Lok Sabha had joined the discussion. It was passed by the Rajya Sabha after debate by 35 MPs ranging for over 6.5 hours.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026 was passed in the Lok Sabha in 4 minutes, while in the Rajya Sabha it was discussed for over 2 hours will 33 MPs participating. Similarly, the Tribunals Reforms Bill, 2026, the MSME Development (Amendment) Bill, 2026, the Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, The Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2026 were passed in the Lok Sabha with barely any discussion.

The Lok Sabha passed nine Bills reportedly without any MP, other than the concerned Minister, speaking on it. The Rajya Sabha fared better wherein several MPs discussed most Bills, though each one of them was allotted limited time. While 18 MPs spoke on the MSME Bill, the total time for the entire discussion was only an hour and 19 minutes.

Here is a quick recap of the 12 Bills passed by the Parliament-

1. The Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026

The bill sought to accord Vande Mataram the same statutory protection as the national anthem Jana Gana Mana. On August 7, the President of India granted assent to the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Act, 2026, which expands the scope of penal provisions under the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971 to cover the National Song (Vande Mataram) alongside the National Anthem.

The amendment substitutes Section 3 of the 1971 Act. Under the amended provision, any person who intentionally prevents the singing of the National Anthem or the National Song; or causes disturbance to any assembly engaged in such singing, shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term extending up to three years, or with fine, or with both.

The Rajya Sabha passed the Bill on July 29 whereas the Lok Sabha passed the bill on July 30.

2.The Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026

The Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on July 29 by a voice vote, introducing stricter penalties for examination malpractices, mandating time-bound investigations and trials, and providing for Special Fast Track Courts to deal with offences under the law. The Rajya Sabha passed the bill on July 30. The President gave assent to it on July 31.

The Bill amends the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, which was enacted to curb the use of unfair means in public examinations and deter organised cheating networks.

The Bill was introduced by the Union Government in the wake of the nationwide protests by the students against the exam paper leaks, which culminated in the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as the Union Education Minister on July 25.

Among the key changes, the Bill increases the minimum punishment for persons resorting to unfair means from three years to five years' imprisonment, while the maximum sentence is enhanced from five years to ten years. The maximum fine is also increased from ₹10 lakh to ₹50 lakh.

The punishment for organised crimes relating to public examinations has also been tightened. The minimum imprisonment has been increased from five years to seven years, while the minimum fine has been enhanced from ₹1 crore to ₹10 crore.

To ensure swift investigation, the Bill mandates that investigations be completed within two months. It also empowers the Central Government to constitute a Special Task Force for probing offences under the Act, in addition to referring cases to a Central Investigating Agency.

3.The Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2026

On August 6 the President granted assent to the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Act, 2026, introducing a significant change to the procedure for delayed registration of births and deaths by reducing the need for judicial intervention in cases where the delay is up to two years.

The Act (Act No. 12 of 2026), passed by both Houses of Parliament last week, amends Section 13 of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969. The Act will come into force on a date to be notified by the Central Government.

Under the amended law, where information regarding a birth or death is furnished after one year but within two years of its occurrence, registration can be carried out only upon an order issued by a District Magistrate, Sub-Divisional Magistrate, or an Executive Magistrate authorised by the District Magistrate having jurisdiction over the area where the event occurred.

Where delayed information is furnished after two years of the occurrence of the birth or death, registration will continue to require an order from a Judicial Magistrate of the First Class having territorial jurisdiction. The Judicial Magistrate must verify the correctness of the birth or death before directing registration, subject to payment of the prescribed fee.

Prior to the amendment, all registrations sought after one year of the occurrence required an order from a Judicial Magistrate of the First Class.

4. The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026

The Bill to increase the strength of Supreme Court judges was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Monday (July 20). On August 3 the Lok Sabha passed without debate the Bill, which seeks to increase the strength of Supreme Court judges from 34 to 38, including the Chief Justice of India. It was considered and returned from the Rajya Sabha subsequently.

During the debates in the Rajya Sabha, the Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal disclosed that the proposal to increase the sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court was initiated after Chief Justice of India Surya Kant wrote to the Prime Minister seeking the enhancement.

The Law Minister revealed that CJI Surya Kant had written to the Prime Minister on May 11 requesting an increase in the Court's sanctioned strength. According to Meghwal, the CJI pointed out that the growing inflow of cases required the Supreme Court to maintain a high daily disposal rate. However, the constitution of Constitution Benches inevitably affects that rate, as judges are diverted from regular hearing work. The CJI cited the recently constituted nine-judge Constitution Bench hearing the Sabarimala reference as an example. Therefore, the CJI proposed an increase in the strength of Judges. Following the CJI's letter, the Ordinance was brought on May 17.

On August 11 the President of India gave assent to the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Act 2026.

5.The Appropriation (No.3) Bill,2026

This Bill concerning the demands for Excess Grants for the financial year 2022-23 and was passed by Lok Sabha on 04.08.2026 and returned by the Rajya Sabha on 06.08.2026. It was granted the President's assent on August 11.

The Act authorizes appropriation of moneys out of the Consolidated Fund of India to meet the amounts spent on certain services during the financial year ended on March 31, 2023, in excess of the amounts granted.

6. The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (Amendment) Bill, 2026

The Parliament cleared the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (Amendment) Bill 2026, bringing in changes to the MSMED Act which seeks to facilitate growth and development of the MSME sector.

The Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on August 7 subsequent to its passing by the Rajya Sabha on August 3. The President gave assent to the Bill on August 13.

7.The Bankers' Books Evidence Bill, 2026

This Bill seeks to expand the scope of the definition of “bankers' books” to include all forms of records maintained by banks, whether in physical, electronic, digital, virtual, cloud-based or in any other form, thereby providing a comprehensive, technology-neutral and future-ready legal framework.

It standardises certificates and recognises manual, digital and electronic authentication, while enabling electronic records to be produced physically or electronically. The Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on August 5 and by the Rajya Sabha on August 10. The Bill received the President's assent on August 13.

8.The Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026

The Parliament has passed the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, which proposes to change the name of the State of Kerala as 'Keralam'. Rajya Sabha cleared the Bill on August 12, which was passed by the Lok Sabha on August 11. It now awaits assent by the President.

The bill was introduced by Union Minister of State for Home Nityananda Rai.

In February, the Union had approved the proposal to change the name of the State. Later, the President of India referred the Bill to the State Legislative Assembly of Kerala for expressing its views under the proviso to Article 3 of the Constitution of India. In July 2026, the Kerala Legislative Assembly unanimously approved the proposal, following which the Bill was introduced by the Centre in the ongoing monsoon session.

The Kerala Legislative Assembly had passed a resolution in 2024, requesting the Centre to change the name of the State from Kerala to Keralam.

9. The Tribunals Reforms Bill, 2026

The Lok Sabha had on August 10 passed the Tribunals Reforms Bill, 2026 without any debate amid heavy protests by Opposition MPs over various issues.

Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, who introduced the Bill, said that there was no change in the jurisdiction of any tribunal as provided under the respective parent Acts. He said the Bill was aimed at strengthening appointments, tribunal independence and transparency.

The Bill proposes to establish a National Tribunals Commission to oversee the appointment, administration and functioning of tribunals. The Commission will have a Chairperson, two Judicial Members and two Technical Members.

The NTC will conduct the selection process for Chairpersons and Members of tribunals, review their performance, oversee inquiries into complaints against them and maintain a National Tribunals Data Grid containing case-related information.

The Bill covers 16 tribunals and authorities, including the Central and State Administrative Tribunals, Securities Appellate Tribunal, Debts Recovery Tribunal, Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal, Armed Forces Tribunal, National Green Tribunal, National Company Law Appellate Tribunal, National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission and Income-tax Appellate Tribunal.

The Bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha on August 11. The President gave assent to the Bill on August 13.

10. The Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026

The Bill seeks to repeal and replace the Income-tax (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026 which amended the Income-tax Act, 2025 providing exemptions to certain foreign investors in government securities. The bill also amends the Finance Act, 2026 and the Payment and Settlement Systems Act 2007.

The Bill was passed by Lok Sabha on August 6 and it was thereafter passed by the Rajya Sabha on August 10. It now awaits President's assent.

11. The National Co-operative Development Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2026

This Bill among various things, seeks to amend the National Co-operative Development Corporation Act, 1962 to expand the definition of “foodstuffs” to include any other food items as may be notified by the Central Government and remove the geographical restriction applicable to industrial goods.

The Bill aims to strengthen the co-operative sector by updating statutory references, removing obsolete provisions and empower the Corporation with necessary powers.

The Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on August 11 and by the Rajya Sabha on August 12. It now awaits President's assent.

12. The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026

The Bill seeks to amend the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 to provide certainty, stability and predictability in the fiscal regime in the mineral sector. The Bill seeks to empower the central government to regulate mineral-bearing lands which is land having mineral contents in accordance with parameters prescribed by the central government. It also seeks to prohibit a state government from imposing specified levies, except as per conditions prescribed by central government.

The Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on August 12 and by Rajya Sabha on August 13. It now awaits the President's assent.