(1) Every notice required by the rules shall be given in writing addressed to the Secretary-General, and signed by the member giving notice, and shall be left at the Council Notice Office which shall be open for this purpose between the hours to be notified in the Bulletin from time to time on every day except Saturday, Sunday or a public holiday.

(1) The Secretary-General shall make every effort to circulate to each member a copy of every notice or other paper which is by these rules required to be made available for the use of members.

On the prorogation of the Council, all pending notices, other than notices of intention to move for leave to introduce a Bill, shall lapse and fresh notice must be given for the next Session:

Provided that fresh notice shall be necessary of intention to move for leave to introduce any Bill in respect of which sanction or recommendation has been granted under the Constitution, if the sanction or recommendation, as the case may be, has ceased to be operative.

Any business pending before a Committee shall not lapse by reason only of the prorogation of the Council and the Committee shall continue to function notwithstanding such prorogation.

If in the opinion of the Chairman, any notice contains words, phrases or expressions which are argumentative, unparliamentary, ironical, irrelevant, verbose, or otherwise inappropriate, he may in his discretion amend such notice before it is circulated.

MOTIONS

A motion must not raise a question substantially identical with one on which the Council has given a decision in the same Session.

(1) A member who has moved a motion may withdraw the same by leave of the Council.

Provided that if an amendment has been proposed to a motion, the original motion shall not be withdrawn until the amendment has been disposed of.

(1) At any time after a motion has been made, a member may move that the debate on the motion be adjourned.

(1) An amendment shall be relevant to, and within the scope of, the motion to which it is proposed.

Notice of an amendment to a motion shall be given at least one day before the day on which the motion is to be considered, unless the Chairman allows the amendment to be moved without such notice.

(1) The Chairman may refuse to put an amendment which in his opinion contravenes these rules.

Every recommendation or previous sanction by the President shall be communicated by a Minister in the following terms:-

RULES TO BE OBSERVED BY MEMBERS

A member desiring to make any observations on any matter before the Council shall speak from his place, shall rise when he speaks and shall address the Chairman:

Provided that a member disabled by sickness or infirmity may be permitted to speak sitting.

No allegation of a defamatory or incriminatory nature shall be made by a member against any other member or a member of the House unless the member making the allegation has given previous intimation to the Chairman and also to the Minister concerned so that the Minister may be able to make an investigation into the matter for the purpose of a reply:

Provided that the Chairman may at any time prohibit any Member from making any such allegation if he is of opinion that such allegation is derogatory to the dignity of the Council or that no public interest is served by making such allegation.

When, for the purposes of explanation during discussion or for any other sufficient reason, any member has occasion to ask a question of another member on any matter then under the consideration of the Council, he shall ask the question through the Chairman.

The Chairman, after having called the attention of the Council to the conduct of a member who persists in irrelevance or in tedious repetition either of his own arguments or of the arguments used by other members in debate, may direct him to discontinue his speech.

A member may, with the permission of the Chairman, make a personal explanation although there is no question before the Council, but in this case no debatable matter may be brought forward, and no debate shall arise.

(1) After the member who moves a motion has spoken, other members may speak to the motion in such order as the Chairman may call upon them. If any member who is so called upon does not speak, he shall not be entitled, except with the permission of the Chairman, to speak to the motion at any later stage of the debate.

(1) Whenever the Chairman rises he shall be heard in silence and any member who is then speaking or offering to speak shall immediately sit down.

CLOSURE

(1) At any time after a motion has been made, any member may move, "That the question be now put," and unless it appears to the Chairman that the motion is an abuse of these rules or an infringement of the right of reasonable debate, the Chairman shall then put the motion: "That the question be now put".

(1) Whenever the debate on any motion in connection with a Bill or on any other motion becomes unduly protracted, the Chairman may, after taking the sense of the Council, fix the hour at which the debate shall conclude.

A matter requiring the decision of the Council shall be decided by means of a question put by the Chairman on a motion made by a member.

When a motion has been made, the Chairman shall propose the question for consideration, and put it for the decision, of the Council. If a motion embodies two or more separate propositions those propositions may be proposed by the Chairman as separate questions.

A member shall not speak on a question after the Chairman has collected the voices both of the Ayes and of the Noes on that question.

If a Minister quotes in the Council a dispatch or other State Paper which has not been presented to the Council, he shall lay the relevant paper on the Table:

Provided that this rule shall not apply to any documents which are stated by the Minister to be of such a nature that their production would be inconsistent with public interest:

Provided further that where a Minister gives in his own words a summary or gist of such dispatch or State Paper it shall not be necessary to lay the relevant papers on the Table.

(1) On the conclusion of a debate, the Chairman shall put the question and invite those who are in favour of the motion to say "Aye" and those against the motion to say "No".

(2) The Chairman shall then say: "I think the Ayes (or the Noes, as the case may be) have it". If the opinion of the Chairman as to the decision of a question is not challenged, he shall say twice: "The Ayes (or the Noes, as the case may be) have it" and the question before the Council shall be determined accordingly.

(1) If the opinion declared under clause (b) of subrule (4) of rule 252 is challenged and the Chairman decides that the votes shall be recorded by the members going into the Lobbies, he shall direct the "Ayes" to go into the Right Lobby and the "Noes" into the Left Lobby. In the "Ayes" or "Noes" Lobby, as the case may be, each member shall call out his Division Number and the Division Clerk, while marking off his number on the Division List shall simultaneously call out the name of the member.

The Chairman may direct any member whose conduct is in his opinion grossly disorderly to withdraw immediately from the Council and any member so ordered to withdraw shall do so forthwith and shall absent himself during the remainder of the day's meeting.

(1) The Chairman may, if he deems it necessary, name a member who disregards the authority of the Chair or abuses the rules of the Council by persistently and willfully obstructing the business thereof.

(3) A member suspended under this rule shall forthwith quit the precincts of the Council.

In the case of grave disorder arising in the Council, the Chairman may, if he thinks it necessary to do so, adjourn the Council or suspend any sitting for a time to be named by him.

(1) Any member may at any time submit a point of order for the decision of the Chairman, but in doing so, shall confine himself to stating the point.

The Chairman shall preserve order and shall have all powers necessary for the purpose of enforcing his decisions.

The Secretary-General shall cause to be prepared a full report of the proceedings of the Council at each of its meetings and shall as soon as practicable, publish it in such form and manner as the Chairman may, from time to time, direct.

If the Chairman is of opinion that a word or words has or have been used in debate which is or are defamatory or indecent or unparliamentary or undignified, he may in his discretion, order that such word or words be expunged from the proceedings of the Council.

The portion of the proceedings of the Council so expunged shall be indicated by asterisks and an explanatory footnote shall be inserted in the

proceedings as follows:

Any officer of the Secretarial staff of the House shall be entitled to admission to the Council Chamber during any sitting of the Council.

The admission of strangers during the sittings of the Council to those portions of the Council which are not reserved for the exclusive use of members shall be regulated in accordance with orders made by the Chairman.

The Chairman, whenever he thinks fit, may order the withdrawal of strangers from any part of the Council.

All matters not specifically provided for in these rules and all questions relating to the detailed working of these rules shall be regulated in such manner as the Chairman may, from time to time direct.

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.