Abolish immunity for all legislative activities done or said during House-proceedings: RTI activist Agrawal

Prakash Kamat

Panaji, August 13- Right to Information(RTI) veteran activist Subhash Chandra Agrawal has demanded that impunity  for all legislative activities done or said during House-proceedings be abolished to check on wastage of precious time of Parliament and State-Assemblies by usual disruptions,din leading to causing frequent adjournments of proceedings. 

Referring to sudden end of monsoon session of Parliament two days before the scheduled end because of high-level and unprecedented disruption in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha for which Central government and opposition are blaming each other,Mr. Agrawal said on Friday that now since Lok Sabha TV and Rajya Sabha TV are going to be merged, CCTV-footage will be the only proof available for knowing the truth. Perhaps it was for first time that eight Union Ministers had to appear before media on 12.08.2021 with TV footage to give clarification on allegations levelled by opposition parties.

It is not the first time that such unruly behavior of Parliamentarians was witnessed during Parliamentary proceedings. Much-awaited Women-Reservation-Bill could not be passed in midnight session of Rajya Sabha despite three-fourth majority of Parliamentarians in support only because of tearing the bill by a member. Rajasthan assembly witnessed slipper-throw on 29.08.2011. Earlier also such unruly activities including even bloodbaths and trying to hurt Speaker have been there in other state-assemblies like Tamilnadu, Bihar, UP etc.  

If such immunity continues, day may not be far when quarrels between members may even turn fatal,cautioned veteran RTI activist. Chairpersons and House-committees are often soft in action against unruly behaviour of members. Abolishing immunity will also have a check on wastage of precious time of Parliament and state-assemblies by usual disruptions causing adjournments of proceedings. 

It may be recalled even Supreme Court acquitted Parliamentarians involved in infamous JMM-bribery case because bribed act of Parliamentarians (to vote for Narsimha Rao government) was considered immunized being the act done during Lok Sabha proceedings. Immunity makes Parliamentarians pass undignified remarks against normal citizens when a member in Rajya Sabha called RTI applicant having sought details of subsidy in Parliamentary canteens as black-mailer,said Mr. Agrawal.(eom).