What began as the Aam Aadmi Party government’s attempt to counter then Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit, who did not allow a special session in September 2022 to table a confidence motion alleging a Bharatiya Janata Party “Operation Lotus”, has now become the norm in the state, with special sessions of the Vidhan Sabha increasingly replacing regular ones.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday announced that the government would hold its sixth special session in January. He said the Assembly would take up a resolution against the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Employment and Livelihood Mission (Rural), or VB G RAM G scheme, and that the session would be convened in the second week of January.
Most recently, a special session was held on November 24 at Sri Anandpur Sahib to commemorate the 350th martyrdom anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur. The sitting, the first Assembly session to be conducted outside the Vidhan Sabha complex, was prorogued by the Governor on Thursday itself.
The practice dates back to September 2022, when Purohit did not summon a special session sought by the Mann Cabinet. Under the rules, the Cabinet decides on summoning a session and communicates the decision to the Governor, who then summons it. After a session is adjourned sine die, the Speaker informs the Governor, who subsequently prorogues it. If a session is adjourned sine die but not prorogued, the government can convene another sitting without fresh approval from the Governor.
Following the September 2022 impasse, the AAP government began calling special sessions without getting earlier sessions prorogued. After Purohit was replaced by Gulab Chand Kataria, the Punjab government has not faced similar difficulties with Raj Bhawan, recently renamed Lok Bhawan.
During Purohit’s tenure, the dispute over Assembly sittings reached the Supreme Court. In June 2023, the government convened a special sitting of the Vidhan Sabha after the regular Budget session had been adjourned sine die but not prorogued, primarily to pass four bills and advance its legislative agenda. Citing Assembly rules, the government treated it as a continuation of the same session and reconvened the House on June 19 and 20, 2023.
During that sitting, the government passed four bills, including amendments relating to Sikh Gurdwaras, Punjab Police, Punjab Universities and security of service for affiliated college staff. The government said it had consulted constitutional experts to ensure the session was legally valid because the Budget session had not been prorogued.
Purohit refused to recognise the sitting, terming it “patently illegal” and alleging a breach of constitutional norms. He questioned the legality of the bills passed and delayed granting assent, indicating that he might seek the Attorney General’s opinion or reserve the bills for the President’s consideration.
The Punjab government approached the Supreme Court, which in November 2023 ruled that the Governor could not cast doubt on the validity of the June 19 and 20 Assembly sitting and that it must be treated as constitutionally valid. The court directed the Governor to decide on the pending bills on the basis that the session was valid.
Since September 2022, the government has convened five special sessions on different issues. After the initial standoff, a four day sitting was eventually held from September 27, 2022. The government also chose not to get the 2023 Budget session prorogued. On June 20, 2023, it presented a resolution on the Rural Development Fund, stating that the Centre had not paid outstanding dues of Rs 3,622.40 crore for the last four seasons.
On May 5, 2025, another special session was convened on the issue of the Bhakra Beas Management Board. Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal presented a resolution accusing Haryana of drawing more water than its allocated quota and alleging that the BBMB chairman was acting beyond his authority in supplying water to the neighbouring state.
A further special session was held on September 26, 2025, when Punjab was grappling with floods. The House discussed rehabilitation efforts, unveiled government plans for relief and criticised the Centre for neglecting the state.
The Opposition has repeatedly objected to the growing reliance on special sessions, pointing out that the Assembly is mandated to hold at least three regular sittings every year, including the Budget, monsoon and winter sessions. This year, the government skipped the monsoon and winter sessions, holding special sittings instead.
Opposition parties have also flagged that question hour and zero hour are not taken up during special sessions, even as the government faces scrutiny over law and order, gang activity, drug abuse and the state’s financial situation.
