<h1>Absence and membership forfeiture: committee to review MPs' leave applications and sanction absences during session.</h1> A parliamentary committee, the Committee on Absence of Members from the Sittings of the House, was constituted and is chaired by Biplab Kumar Deb to review and sanction MPs' leave applications where prolonged absence may lead to membership forfeiture; the move responds to a petition by a detained member seeking permission to attend the session. The Speaker also constituted the Committee on Petitions chaired by Chandra Prakash Joshi. Both committees currently have one vacant seat each.