Parliamentary Privileges in India | 23 Dec 2025

Source: TH

Why in News? 

The Lok Sabha Speaker is examining a notice for breach of Parliamentary privilege and contempt of the House over alleged disruptive conduct during the debate on the Viksit Bharat- Guarantee For Rozgar And Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, 2025. 

• The notice cites the actions as misconduct in the presence of the House, disobedience to the Speaker's authority, and obstruction of House officers, constituting a collective breach of MPs' privileges.

What are Parliamentary Privileges? 

• About: Parliamentary privileges are special rights, immunities, and exemptions enjoyed by each House of Parliament, its committees, and its members.  
  • These privileges extend to the Attorney General of India but do not extend to the President. 
• Objective: They are necessary for the effective discharge of parliamentary functions and exceed those possessed by other bodies or individuals.  
• Types of Privileges: 
  • Collective Privileges: Rights of the House as a whole (e.g., right to regulate proceedings, punish for contempt, exclude strangers). 
  • Individual Privileges: Rights of members (e.g., freedom of speech in Parliament, freedom from arrest in civil cases). 
• Sources of Parliamentary Privileges:  
  • Constitutional Basis: Article 105, Article 122, Article 194 and Article 212 provides various types of privileges to Members of Parliament (MPs)  and Members of the Legislative Assemblies (MLAs). 
  • Legal Basis: Article 105(3) states that until defined by Parliament by law, privileges shall be those of the British House of Commons as of 1950. No comprehensive law has been enacted, so British precedents largely guide the practice. 
    • The Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, grants freedom from arrest in civil cases during and around parliamentary sessions. 
  • Parliamentary Conventions: Based on British parliamentary practices. 
  • Parliamentary Procedure: Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business (Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha). 
  • Judicial Interpretations: Searchlight Case, 1958, JMM Bribery Case, 1998, etc. 
• Breach of Privileges: A breach of privilege (BoP) occurs when any individual or collective parliamentary privilege is violated or disregarded. 
• Privilege Motion: It is concerned with the breach of parliamentary privileges by a minister. It is moved by a member when he feels that a minister has committed a breach of privilege of the House or one or more of its members by withholding facts of a case or by giving wrong or distorted facts. Its purpose is to censure the concerned minister. 
  • A Privilege Notice is a formal complaint submitted by an MP against another member or an external entity for an alleged breach of parliamentary privileges, e.g., derogatory remarks against MPs. 
• Committee of Privileges: The functions of this committee are semi-judicial in nature. It examines the cases of breach of privileges of the House and its members and recommends appropriate action. The Lok Sabha committee has 15 members, while the Rajya Sabha committee has 10 members. 

What Parliamentary Privileges are Enjoyed by MPs? 

• Individual Privileges: Individual Privileges are the rights and immunities granted to MPs and State Legislators, allowing them to perform their duties independently and without obstruction. Key Privileges are: 
  • Freedom of Speech: Members enjoy complete freedom of speech within Parliament, protected under Article 105(1) of the Constitution. 
  • Immunity from Legal Proceedings: Members cannot face legal action for speeches made or votes cast in Parliament or its committees, as per Article 105(2). 
  • Protection for Authorized Publications: No legal proceedings can be initiated for publishing any report, paper, vote, or proceeding that has been authorized by Parliament (Article 105(2)). 
  • Exemption from Judicial Inquiry: Courts are barred from inquiring into the validity of parliamentary proceedings based on alleged procedural irregularities, under Article 122(1). 
  • Freedom from Arrest: Members are exempt from arrest in civil cases during parliamentary sessions, as well as 40 days before and after a session, according to Section 135A of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908. 
  • Exemption from Jury Service: They are exempted from jury service. They can refuse to give evidence and appear as a witness in a case pending in a court when Parliament is in session. 
• Collective Privileges: It refers to the collective rights and immunities granted to the Indian Parliament and State Legislatures, as well as their members and officers, to protect their functioning and authority. Key Privileges: 
  • Publication Rights: Parliament holds the exclusive right to publish its own reports, debates, and proceedings. The 44th Amendment Act, 1978, permits the press to publish accurate reports of these proceedings without prior approval, except during secret sittings. 
  • Right to Secret Sittings: It can hold confidential discussions by excluding strangers during critical matters. 
  • Rule-Making and Disciplinary Authority: Parliament can establish its own rules of procedure and conduct business. It also has the power to punish members or outsiders for breach of privilege or contempt through measures like reprimand, imprisonment, suspension, or expulsion. 
  • Right to Information: The legislature must be immediately informed about the arrest, detention, conviction, imprisonment, or release of any of its members. 
  • Inquiry and Summoning Powers: It possesses the authority to conduct inquiries, summon witnesses, and demand relevant documents and records.

What are the Key Judicial Pronouncements Concerning Parliamentary Privileges? 

• Pandit MSM. Sharma vs Shri Sri Krishna Sinha, 1958 (Searchlight Case): The Supreme Court (SC) ruled that legislative privileges under Article 194(3) prevail over freedom of the press under Article 19(1)(a) in case of conflict, allowing state legislatures to control the publication of their proceedings, similar to the British House of Commons. 
• PV Narasimha Rao vs. State, 1998 (JMM Bribery Case): The SC ruled that lawmakers who accepted bribes could not be prosecuted for corruption if they voted or spoke in the House according to the bribe agreement. 
• State of Kerala vs. K. Ajith and Others, 2021: The SC clarified that parliamentary privileges and immunities do not exempt members from general laws, including criminal laws that apply to all citizens. 
• Sita Soren vs. Union of India, 2024: In a landmark reversal, the SC overturned its ruling in the PV Narasimha Rao case, 1998. The Court held that constitutional immunity does not extend to bribery, affirming that accepting a bribe is a distinct criminal offense that corrupts democratic processes and falls outside a legislator's protected duties. 

What are the Key Issues and Debates Surrounding Privileges? 

• Codification Debate: There is a long-standing debate on whether to codify privileges into a single law. While this could clarify their scope, successive committees have recommended against codification (e.g., Committee of Privileges of the Lok Sabha 2008), fearing it might restrict the House's inherent ability to address novel forms of contempt. 
• Tensions with Other Rights: A persistent tension exists between the legislature's power to punish for misreporting and the constitutional freedom of the press.  
• Conflict with Democratic Principles: Certain privileges, such as immunity from arrest, conflict with the fundamental principle of equality before the law.  
• Risk of Misuse and Erosion of Trust: Privileges are sometimes exploited to evade legal accountability or to make inflammatory, unsubstantiated statements under the cloak of immunity.  
  • Inadequate regulatory mechanisms heighten this risk, eroding public trust and allowing privilege motions to be used for political vendettas rather than upholding legislative dignity. 
• Opacity and Lack of Oversight: Privileges are frequently invoked through non-transparent processes, severely limiting public scrutiny and undermining confidence in the legislature.

What Reforms can be Taken to Reform Parliamentary Privileges in India? 

• Balanced Statutory Framework: Instead of rigid codification, a broad statutory framework should define core privileges and set clear principles for their use. This would incorporate key judicial rulings and set boundaries, while preserving parliamentary discretion to address new forms of contempt through its own procedures. 
• Transparent Procedures for Privilege Cases: Develop and standardize detailed, publicly accessible procedures for handling privilege complaints—from notice to final disposition—ensuring principles of natural justice (right to be heard, right to representation) are followed. 
• Strengthen Internal Ethics: Strengthen the Code of Conduct for Members and explicitly link it to the responsible use of privileges, particularly freedom of speech. 
  • Empower the Ethics Committees to proactively educate and advise members when privilege claims conflict with public interest or ethical norms, promoting a culture of restraint. 
• Clarify the Privilege-Fundamental Rights Interface: Formally endorse the Supreme Court's principle of harmonious construction in the Rules of Procedure, guiding the Houses to interpret their privileges in a manner that respects constitutionally guaranteed rights like freedom of speech and equality before law. 

Conclusion 

Parliamentary privileges are essential for legislative autonomy but require responsible use to balance independence with accountability. The recent breach of privilege notice highlights the need for clear, transparent procedures and ethical self-regulation to maintain public trust in the institution.