Necessity Of Principles Of Public Ethics In Parliament

The Indian Parliament's appearance has changed dramatically over time, reflecting the nation's socio-political development. This has been especially true in the case of the Lok Sabha, India's popularly elected House, which also reflects the changing demographics of the Indian electorate. To begin, one can observe that the number of political parties represented in the Lok Sabha has increased in recent years. This is in line with the emergence of regional parties and the proliferation of political parties, as well as the fragmentation of mainline political parties. Political party mergers and splits have become a common occurrence in India's electoral politics.

 

•    The educational backgrounds of Lok Sabha members have changed significantly over time. Though our Constitution does not require members of Parliament to have a formal education, it cannot be denied that educational achievements have an impact on a person's behaviour when conducting himself or herself in a public forum, and the general trend in this regard shows that electors have favoured those with a basic education who can more effectively articulate their problems and grievances in the supreme legislative body.

•    Over the decades, the members' occupational backgrounds have also changed with the Lok Sabhas. Members of the First Lok Sabha with a legal background outnumbered those from other professions.

 

•    They have now been relegated to third place in the Lok Sabha, behind political and social workers and agriculturists. This is ample evidence of the electorate's changing approach and attitude in selecting their representatives. 

 

•    Their preference may indicate that they intend to send to Parliament representatives who are grassroots workers who are fully aware of their problems and who can bring them to the attention of the national government for prompt and effective resolution.

 

•    Members must have a proper understanding of the role of Parliament in our polity in order to play a meaningful role as members.

 

•    Parliament, as previously stated, is not a debating chamber. The Constitution sees it as an important tool for social and economic change. 

 

•    As a result, it must keep a close eye on the government's operations and exert influence over its performance for the greater good.

 

•    Members of our Parliament have a number of tools at their disposal to raise issues of concern, and they should make full use of them. 

 

•    They should keep in mind that Parliament is not the place to raise issues that are primarily concerns of state governments, which should be addressed through the Legislative Assemblies. 

 

•    The issues raised in Parliament should have a broader impact on society and the country as a whole. 

 

•    Members must take advantage of all available opportunities and actively participate in the House's legislative, financial, and other business, bringing their unique knowledge, experience, and insights to bear in the formulation of public policy and contributing their fair share to the oversight and scrutiny of the government's performance and the redress of public grievances.

 

•    The role and functions of Parliament's members have a significant impact on the Parliament's image and credibility as a representative institution.

 

•    The operation of Parliament is a serious business that should be conducted with dignity, decorum, and sincerity. 

 

•    The Speaker's primary responsibility is to keep the House in order. He is not only the House's moderator and facilitator, but also the authority charged with assisting in the formulation of sound rules, practises, customs, and conventions, and thus the evolution of a healthy parliamentary culture. 

 

•    The Speaker's disciplinary powers are derived from the Rules. When a member makes an unwarranted or defamatory remark, he may intervene at his discretion, asking him to withdraw the remark or ordering the expunction of any defamatory or indecent words used in the debate.

 

•    In cases of grave disorder, the Speaker may order a member guilty of disorderly conduct to withdraw from the House and name a member for suspension if the member disregards the Chair's authority and continues to obstruct the House's proceedings.

 

•    At times, the proceedings become raucous, resulting in chaos and upheaval. Members should avoid the temptation to rush to the House well, raise slogans, and create disorderly scenes. 

 

•    As previously stated, much of the House's valuable time is wasted in this manner. It is also critical that members learn proper Parliamentary etiquette. In the heat of the moment, when emotions are running high, members may use non-parliamentary language.

 

•    There is, of course, a practise of expunging such remarks from records, but it must be remembered that in the case of live telecasting, such expunction is ineffective because people will have already heard it. 

 

•    On February 18, 1963, during the President's Address to members of both Houses of Parliament assembled together, five members of Parliament caused a ruckus. The Speaker appointed a Committee the next day to report to the House on the members' disorderly conduct. 

 

•    In their report, the Committee recommended that any member who engages in disorderly conduct during the President's Address be suspended from the House for a period of up to one year. 

 

•    Replying to the discussion on the report of the Committee, Pandit Nehru remarked: “The sole question before us is–it is a highly important one and vital one-what rules and conventions we should establish for carrying on the work of this Parliament with dignity and effectiveness… Parliament is supposed not only to act correctly but lay down certain principles and conventions of decorous behaviour.’

 

•    When the President began reading his Address to both Houses of Parliament in 1971, a member of the Lok Sabha interrupted him, causing chaos. 

 

•    The member's behaviour was deemed improper and inconsistent with the dignity of the occasion by the Committee formed to investigate the matter.

 

•    On the occasion of the President's Address, the Committee formulated certain guidelines for member conduct and the maintenance of order, dignity, and decorum. 

 

•    Certain rules of conduct, norms of behaviour, and conventions for legislators in their functioning in the House, in Parliamentary Committees, during the President's Address, and outside the House have developed over time, based on well-established parliamentary practises.

 

•    The importance of maintaining order and decorum in the House of Commons cannot be overstated.

 

•    All those involved in the operation of parliamentary institutions, whether they are Presiding Officers, the Leader of the House, the Leader of the Opposition, Leaders of Political Parties, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Whips, or members, have been concerned about incidents of pandemonium and unruly scenes.

 

•    In 1992, a two-day All-India Conference of Presiding Officers, Leaders of Parties, Ministers of Parliamentary Affairs, Whips, Parliamentarians, Legislators, and Senior Officers of Parliament and State Legislatures was held in New Delhi to discuss a variety of issues concerning the functioning of parliamentary institutions, including disorder and disturbances during the President's and Governor's Addresses, suspension of Question Hour, the so-called 'Zero-Hour,' and the participants' main concern was making effective use of the House's time, conducting the House's business in an orderly manner, and finding ways to make the Executive more responsive to the people's grievances.

 

•    A Resolution reflecting the consensus was unanimously adopted by the Conference. The resolution stated, among other things, that it was necessary for members to maintain decorum and dignity during the President's/address Governor's in order to preserve the democratic and secular fabric and strengthen parliamentary institutions; to fully and effectively use Question Time as a well-established device to ensure Executive accountability; and to obsess over the President's/Address. 

 

•    Governor's The Resolution also emphasised the importance of political parties developing and enforcing a code of conduct for their legislators. The Special Session of Parliament to commemorate India's Golden Jubilee, which took place from August 26 to September 1, 1997, unanimously adopted a Resolution that, among other things, states:

 

•    That the Parliament's prestige be preserved and enhanced, including through conscious and dignified adherence to the entire regime of Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of the Houses and Directions of the Presiding Officers relating to the orderly conduct of business, particularly by,

 

1.    Maintaining the Question Hour's inviolability

2.    Refraining from entering the House's official areas or shouting slogans, and

3.    Avoiding any attempts to disrupt or interfere with the President of the Republic's Address at all times.

 

•    As a result, maintaining discipline and decorum is a prerequisite for the smooth operation of our parliamentary democracy.

 

•    The concept of ethics and standards for parliamentarians assumes relevance and significance in this context. 

 

•    The Rajya Sabha established an Ethics Committee in March 1997 to oversee members' moral and ethical conduct and investigate cases referred to it. During the Eleventh Lok Sabha's tenure, a Study Group of the Committee of Privileges investigated parliamentary privileges ethics and related issues. 

 

•    The Study Group on Ethics, Standards in Public Life, Privileges, Facilities to Members, and Other Related Matters recommended broad parameters to be incorporated in the Rules of Procedure of the Lok Sabha for dealing with complaints relating to a member's unbecoming conduct or unethical behaviour, as adopted by the Committee of Privileges and presented to the Twelfth Lok Sabha.

 

•    A member's status as an elected representative of the people is elevated. Members are granted privileges to enable them to carry out their parliamentary duties without restriction, but these privileges come with a set of responsibilities. One of a Member of Parliament's primary responsibilities is to conduct himself in a dignified manner.

 

•    All political parties should look for ways to improve the quality of their members' participation in parliamentary proceedings and ensure that they conduct themselves in a dignified and decorous manner. 

 

•    They, like everyone else, need training to understand the complexities and nuances of parliamentary democracy. 

 

•    Political education for new members is urgently needed, either by political parties themselves or through some other mechanism that can be devised through consensus.

 

•    In terms of procedural training, the Lok Sabha Secretariat's Bureau of Parliamentary Studies and Training hosts Orientation Programs in Parliamentary Practices and Procedures for new members.

 

•    Parliamentarians play a crucial role in a parliamentary system of government. 

 

•    The image of democracy as a form of government is determined by the Parliament, which is determined by the image of its parliamentarians. In fact, the way parliamentarians carry out their duties and responsibilities determines the democratic system's future. They are elected to represent not only their constituency, but also the state and the country as a whole.

 

•    As a result, their behaviour and actions both inside and outside the House have a significant bearing and impact on the national situation.

 

1.    The Indian Parliament reflects the country's overall socioeconomic development.

 

2.    Parliamentarians must have a proper perspective in order to contribute meaningfully to our country's socioeconomic development. The issues raised in Parliament should have broader societal and national implications.

 

3.    To keep its credibility intact.

 

4.    At times, the proceedings become raucous, resulting in chaos and upheaval. This wastes a lot of the House's valuable time. It is also critical that members learn the parliamentary etiquette. Such experimentation becomes ineffective with live telecasting because people will have already heard it.

 

5.    Effective use of the House's time, orderly conduct of the House's business, and ways to make the Executive more responsive to the people's grievances.

 

6.    Preserving and strengthening the democratic and secular fabric, as well as parliamentary institutions.

 

7.    To make full and effective use of Question Period as a well-established tool for ensuring executive accountability

 

8.    To follow the Rules of Procedure in order to keep the House in order and maintain decorum.

 

9.    Refraining from entering the official areas of the House or shouting slogans, and invariably refraining from any attempts to disrupt or interfere with the President of the Republic's Address.

 

10.    To ensure that our parliamentary democracy runs smoothly.

 

•    There is no one-size-fits-all solution. Legislation alone will not be able to address all ethical issues. This is primarily a matter of conscience. The problem will not be solved simply by imposing a Code of Conduct.

 

•    However, the Code of Conduct, like many others in different countries, could aid in the development of certain standard norms of behaviour that anyone seeking to enter the legislative branch is expected to adhere to.

 

•    People should be educated not to elect people with "dubious distinction" in addition to prescribing a Code of Conduct for members. Political parties and their leaders can also play a key role in ensuring public integrity by refusing to sell tickets to people who are criminals, corrupt, or have anti-social tendencies. Cross-voting is becoming more common in elections for the Rajya Sabha and State Legislative Councils. 

 

•    It is frequently claimed that large sums of money and other considerations incentivize the electorate for these two bodies to vote in a certain way, resulting in the defeat of official candidates from their own political party in some cases. 

 

•    To avoid allowing big money and other considerations to tamper with the electoral process, the question of holding open ballot elections for the Rajya Sabha and Legislative Councils in States should be considered instead of secret ballot elections.

 

•    To make the electoral process more transparent, political parties and the government must implement the long-awaited electoral reforms that will help to clean up public life.

 

•    The general public's apathy toward their elected representatives has been observed. Some legislators' actions and behaviour, both inside and outside the House, have eroded the credibility of legislative institutions to dangerous levels. 

 

•    The Committee emphasises the critical importance of restoring people's representatives' credibility and the dignity of people's institutions.

 

•    The rising trend of disorderly proceedings in legislatures is causing serious concern. The House's proceedings have been disrupted due to the actions of some of its members. 

 

•    Due to the undisciplined behaviour of some members, the House's proceedings are frequently interrupted, putting an unnecessary financial burden on the national exchequer that our economy cannot afford.

 

•    Despite the fact that the House has a set of rules in place to deal with instances of indiscipline, there are still times when members defy the Chair. It is a matter of concern in the resolution adopted at the Special Rajya Sabha sitting on the occasion of the Fifty Years of Independence held on September 1, 1997, which calls on political party leaders to work effectively with the Presiding Officers of legislatures in enforcing discipline. 

 

•    They should encourage their members to follow the House's rules of discipline and decorum.

 

•    The government also bears a share of the responsibility for the House's smooth operation. While the government has the final say in a legislative setting, the opposition should have a say as well. 

 

•    As a result, the Government must be more responsive and accommodating to the Opposition in allowing it to raise matters of urgent public importance in the House, and the Opposition must be aware of its joint responsibility with the Government to the people of this country to ensure that proceedings in the House are conducted in accordance with the rules, established procedures, and established procedures.