‘Rules for suspension are meant for individual MPs, not by the bulk’: Lok Sabha ex-secretary general

There is no reason for the ban on 140 MPs demanding government’s response to security breach in Parliament, says PDT Achary.

Dec 20, 2023 - 00:30

‘Rules for suspension are meant for individual MPs, not by the bulk’: Lok Sabha ex-secretary general

On Tuesday afternoon, 49 more Opposition MPs were suspended from the Lok Sabha from the remainder of the Winter Session of Parliament. Since December 14, a total of 141 Opposition MPs – 95 in the Lok Sabha and 46 in the Rajya Sabha – have been suspended for purportedly disrupting proceedings. The MPs have been seeking a discussion in Parliament on the December 13 security breach inside the Lok Sabha chamber.

Under Rule 374 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business, the Lok Sabha speaker can name an MP who “disregards the authority of the Chair or abuses the rules”. After the MP is named, the House can move a motion to suspend the legislator. The chairman of Rajya Sabha has the same powers as the Speaker under Rule 256.

Former Lok Sabha Secretary General PDT Achary told Scroll that not only is the scale of these suspensions unprecedented, they also raise questions about the government’s will to respond to the demands of the House and the propriety of the bills being passed in the near-absence of the Opposition.

Here from an interview with him.

Is there a precedent for banning such a large number of MPs en masse in Parliament or any state assembly?

The only other instance that comes...