Title : SUSPENSION OF MPs in Rajya Sabha

Date : Dec 22, 2021

Description :

GS II

 

Topic à Parliament related issues

 

• Rule 255 of the Rajya Sabha's General Rules of Procedure reads as follows:

 

• "The Chairman may direct any member whose conduct is in his opinion grossly disorderly to withdraw immediately from the Council, and any member so ordered to withdraw shall do so forthwith and shall absent himself during the remainder of the day's meeting," according to Rule 255 ('Withdrawal of member') of the Rajya Sabha's General Rules of Procedure.

 

• What is the difference between suspension under Rule 255 and suspension under Rule 256:

 

• Rule 256 calls for 'Member Suspension,' but Rule 255 calls for a milder punishment.
• "The Chairman may, if he thinks it essential, suspend a member from the Council's service for a period not exceeding the duration of the Session," according to Rule 256.

 

• Speaker of the Lok Sabha and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha have different powers:

 

• The Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, like the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, has the authority to "command any Member whose behaviour is in his judgement highly disorderly to withdraw immediately" from the House under Rule 255 of the Rajya Sabha's Rule Book.
• The Rajya Sabha Chairman, unlike the Speaker, does not have the authority to suspend a member.

 

• Suspension of Rajya Sabha members will be handled in the following manner:

 

• The Chairman has the right to "name a Member who disobeys the Chair's authority or abuses the Council's norms by continuously and deliberately blocking" proceedings.
• In such a case, the House may pass a motion suspending the Member from serving in the House for no more than the balance of the session.
• The suspension may, however, be lifted by another move in the House.

 

• Attempts to restore order in the House:

 

• Vice-President Ansari tried multiple times as Chairman of the Rajya Sabha to bring order to the House. He proposed a number of bold methods for maintaining decorum in 2013.

 

• This included the following:

 

• MPs are being named and shamed in the Rajya Sabha bulletin for breaking House rules.
• Members who entered the Well or engaged in other severely disruptive behaviour were to be named.
• The telecast of the proceedings will be postponed to avoid the public from seeing images of the chaos.

 

• How can the suspension of members of Parliament be justified? Isn't this a drastic measure to adopt to control rebellious behaviour:

 

• Unruly behaviour requires a long-term solution that is consistent with democratic norms.
• There is no doubt that the Presiding Officer's supreme authority must be respected in order for proceedings to go smoothly.
• However, a delicate balance must be established. It's important to remember that the Presiding Officer's responsibility is to operate the House, not to rule it.

 

• Source à The Hindu à 20/12/21 à Page Number 1

Tags : Rule 255 of the Rajya Sabha's Rule Book