Suspension of MPs from Vajirao & Reddy Institute

Suspension of MPs

• Thirty-three Lok Sabha members and 45 from Rajya Sabha, all belonging to the Opposition INDIA group, were suspended recently for the remainder of the Winter Session.
• Fourteen Opposition MPs had been suspended for the remainder of the session last week.
• Almost 12 per cent of the combined strength of Parliament, and 39 per cent of MPs in the INDIA alliance, are now suspended.

• The MPs in both Houses were suspended for disrupting Parliamentary proceedings while protesting recent Parliament security breach.
• In Lok Sabha, the Opposition demanded a statement from Home Minister. Some MPs waved placards with their demands.
• In Rajya Sabha, the Opposition raised slogans on the Parliament breach and disrupted proceedings.

• There is an old tradition, irrespective of which party or alliance is in opposition, of MPs causing a ruckus inside Parliament.
• Over the years, four broad reasons have been identified for disorder in legislatures.

1. the lack of time available to MPs for raising important matters,
2. the unresponsive attitude of the government and retaliatory posture by Treasury benches,
3. deliberate disruption by parties for political or publicity purposes, and
4. the absence of prompt action against MPs disrupting Parliamentary proceedings.

• Over the decades, the say the Opposition has in deciding the Parliamentary calendar has been reducing.
• Not only does the Government set the agenda in Parliament and decide how much time will be dedicated to any issue, Parliamentary procedure also prioritises government business over other matters.

• The Presiding Officers of the respective houses i.e, the Speaker of LS and Chairman of RS plays the major role in meting out suspensions.
• In Lok Sabha, the Speaker acts in accordance with Rules 373, 374, and 374A of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business.
• In Rajya Sabha, the Chairman acts as per Rules 255 and 256 of the Rules. The procedure in both Houses is largely similar.
• First, the presiding officers can direct an MP to withdraw from the House for any disorderly conduct (Rule 373 in LS, 255 in RS).
• If that does not work and the said MP continues to disrupt the House proceedings, the presiding officer can “name” the legislator (Rule 374 in LS, 256 in RS).
• After that, the House can move a motion to suspend the MP until the end of the session.
• While these rules have mostly remained unchanged since 1952, in 2001, the Lok Sabha further empowered the Speaker to deal with “grave and disorderly conduct.”
• As per the new rule (Rule 374A), an MP “named” by the Speaker shall automatically stand suspended for a period of five days or the remaining part of the session.
• This rule removes the need for the House to pass a motion for suspension.
• Notably, the Rajya Sabha has not incorporated this provision in its procedures.

• Mild offences are punished by admonition or reprimand, with the latter being the more serious of the two punishments.
• A member can be suspended, at the maximum, for the remainder of the session only. Moreover, the House, at any point of time, can reinstate a suspended member by passing a motion.
• In cases of extreme misconduct, the House may expel a member “to rid the House of persons who are unfit for membership.