Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar stated on Friday that members should speak in the House with responsibility and credibility and that their statements “cannot be based on unverified situations,” noting that the provision in Article 105 of the Constitution regarding MPs’ immunity from legal action for statements made in Parliament is not an “unqualified privilege.”
The Chairman of the Rajya Sabha Dhankar said the Parliament is the temple of democracy and is meant for interaction, debate, discussion, and deliberation while speaking at the 61st convocation ceremony of the ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, PUSA here. He asserted that it is the duty of the presiding officer to ensure that remarks made in the House do not offend a person who is not a House member. According to Dhankar, if such comments are made outside of Parliament, they could lead to a legal or criminal case. India’s ascent is irreversible and exponential, and there may be attempts to harm it based on “unfounded parameters.” It is the responsibility of the intelligentsia and everyone, in especially young minds, to recognize these attempts and neutralize them.
The Rajya Sabha Chairman said the makers of Constitution have given such a huge right through Article 105 that the Member of Parliament will speak freely in the House.
“This is a privilege but we ignore that this privilege is not unqualified. None of the 140 crore people can file a case – civil or criminal, then it is our responsibility that whatever we speak in the House, we speak responsibly and in a verfied manner. Under the rules, it is the duty of the Presiding Officer (to see) that there is no hurt to any person outside the House,” he said.
He said that Parliament cannot be allowed to become an arena where there is free fall of information.
