Rights and jurisdiction defined in Constitution should be followed by all: Om Birla

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Santosh Kumar Pathak | 21 Jan, 2023
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has said that all the presiding officers of legislative bodies taking part in the All India Presiding Officers' Conference (AIPOC) here believe that the rights and jurisdiction defined in the Constitution should be followed by all.

"There should be mutual respect among each other," he said while suggesting that the judiciary should "remain within decorum".

Birla made the remarks while speaking with IANS on the sidelines of the conference in Jaipur.

The Lok Sabha Speaker spoke on a range of subjects, including the relationship between the legislature and the judiciary, ruckus during the proceedings of the House and the ongoing Presiding Officers' Conference.

Excerpts:

IANS: At AIPOC, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, you and several other presiding officers have expressed views on the jurisdiction and dignity of the judiciary. What is your opinion about the relationship between the judiciary and the legislature?

Birla: In the All India Presiding Officers' Conference, all the presiding officers believe that the rights and jurisdiction provided under the Constitution should be respected by all. The country should run according to the Constitution, no organ should encroach on the work area of the other and the executive, judiciary and legislature should work in harmony with each other to strengthen democracy. Everyone should follow their own limits. The relationship between the judiciary and the legislature was also discussed in the Kevadia conference before the Jaipur conference.

IANS: Voices are being raised in the conference that the legislature is supreme in matters related to making of laws, then why is there the courts' interference in it. What's your take on this?

Birla: This issue will be discussed on both the days in the conference. We will take forward the decisions that will be taken after the discussion. But we clearly believe that all (institutions) should remain within their limits. Even in the conference, all the presiding officers have emphasised that we respect the judiciary, its independence, its authority and jurisdiction, but the judiciary should also remain within its limits.

IANS: In the conference, concern was also expressed about ruckus inside the House?

Birla: In the conference, discussions on how to maintain decency and dignity inside the House are going on and some important decisions can be taken regarding this. It is our endeavour that there should be no disturbance or ruckus during the proceedings of the House and all the presiding officers are unanimous that it is not appropriate to disrupt the House in a planned manner. Many important issues like the behaviour of public representatives, high-quality discussion inside the House and active participation of the public while making laws are also to be discussed in the conference.

IANS: Questions are also being raised on the issue of declining number of sittings of the House and state Assemblies. What's your take?

Birla: Certainly it is a matter of concern for us that the number of sittings is continuously declining. Assemblies in many states run only for 10 to 15 days in a year, this is a matter of serious concern. We expect that the proceedings of the Legislative Assembly should last for at least 30 days and maximum for 60 days. Several resolutions have been passed in several conferences regarding this and we are constantly making efforts regarding this.

IANS: When is the construction work of the new Parliament House building expected to be completed? Is there a possibility that this year's budget session would be held in the new building?

Birla: The construction work of Parliament House is going on and is in progress. When the construction work is completed, you all will definitely be informed.