Q. With reference to ‘Parliamentary Privileges’, consider the following statements:
1. The privilege of Freedom of speech in Parliament is mentioned under Article 105 of the Indian constitution.
2. The Parliamentary privileges are extended to both the President and the Attorney General of India.
3. At present, there is no special law in India to exhaustively codify all the Parliamentary privileges.
How many of the above given statements are correct?
Exp) Option b is the correct answer.
Parliamentary privileges are special rights, immunities and exemptions enjoyed by the two Houses of Parliament, their committees and their members.
Statement 1 is correct: Originally, the Constitution (Article 105) mentioned two privileges, that is, freedom of speech in Parliament and right of publication of its proceedings. With regard to other privileges, it provided that they were to be the same as those of the British House of Commons, its committees and its members on the date of its commencement of Constitution (i.e., 26 January, 1950).
Statement 2 is incorrect: The Constitution has extended the parliamentary privileges to those persons who are entitled to speak and take part in the proceedings of a House of Parliament or any of its committees. These include the attorney general of India and Union ministers.
Statement 3 is correct: The Indian Parliament has not yet made any special law to exhaustively codify all the privileges enjoyed by its members. The privileges of the Parliament are derived from various sources, including the Constitution, the rules of procedure, and the customs and traditions of the House.
| Important Tips The parliamentary privileges do not extend to the President who is also an integral part of the Parliament. |
