Private Members’ Bills get short shrift in both LS and RS

Context: During the five-year term of the 17th Lok Sabha that ended in 2024, only
9.08 hours were spent on Private Members’ Bills, while the Rajya Sabha spent
27.01 hours on them during the period. The Lower House spent 16.43 hours and
the Upper House 20.78 hours on Private Members’ Resolution, whereas in the two
sessions of the of the 18th Lok Sabha, 0.15 hours was spent on such Bills,
while the Rajya Sabha spent 0.62 hours in this period. The resolutions are
declarations on which the House votes, while the Bills refer to proposed
legislation. These are the only instruments available for MPs’ individual
expression without being bound by their party’s point of view.

Key points

·       Overview: Recently, Rajya
Sabha reserved its decision to allow the introduction of a Private Member’s
Bill to amend the Preamble to the Constitution. The Bill seeks to change the
words in the Preamble “EQUALITY of status and of opportunity” to “EQUALITY of
status and of opportunity to be born, to be fed, to be educated, to get a job
and to be treated with dignity”.

·       Private
Members Bill: Any Member of Parliament (MP) who is not a minister
is referred to as a private member. Its drafting is the responsibility of the
member concerned. Its introduction in the House requires one month’s notice. The
government bills\public bills can be introduced and discussed on any day,
private member’s bills can be introduced and discussed only on Fridays.

Ø  In case of
multiple Bills, a ballot system is used to decide the sequence of bills for
introduction.

Ø  The
Parliamentary Committee on Private Member's Bills and Resolutions goes through
all such Bills and classifies them based on their urgency and importance.

·       Previous
Private Bills: The last time a private member’s bill was passed by
both Houses was in 1970. It was the Supreme Court (Enlargement of Criminal
Appellate Jurisdiction) Bill, 1968.

14 private
member’s bills — five of which were introduced in Rajya Sabha — have become law
so far. Some other private member bills that have become laws include-

Ø  Proceedings of
Legislature (Protection of Publication) Bill, 1956, in the Lok Sabha.

Ø  The Salaries and
Allowances of Members of Parliament (Amendment) Bill, 1964, introduced in the
Lok Sabha.

Ø  The Indian Penal
Code (Amendment) Bill, 1967 introduced in the Rajya Sabha.

·       Significance: The purpose of
the private member’s bill is to draw the government’s attention to what
individual MPs see as issues and gaps in the existing legal framework, which
require legislative intervention.