Parliament clarifies

The Committee to inquire into the complaint made by three members of Lok Sabha regarding alleged offer of money to them in connection with voting on Motion of Confidence deliberated on their draft report in their meeting held on 6 October, 2008. The Committee did not adopt their draft report at the said meeting as members wanted more time to go through the draft report. The Committee, therefore, decided to meet on 17 October, 2008 for this purpose.

An official release said, a news report in a newspaper published in the morning of 6 October, 2008, i.e. prior to consideration of their report by the Committee, reports carried by several television news-channels on 6 October, 2008 after the Committee’s meeting and news-items carried in several newspapers on 7th October, 2008, have referred to the recommendations purported to be contained in the draft report of the Committee.

The report pointed out that it is well established that publication of a draft or approved report of a Parliamentary Committee, before such report has been presented to the House, is treated as a breach of privilege of the House. (Kaul and Shakdher, Fifth Edition, p. 283). Any publication of a draft report which has been submitted to a Committee, before such a report has been agreed to by the Committee and presented to the House may be treated as contempt (May’s Parliamentary Practice, 23rd Edition, p. 776).

Publication of the said news-items in newspapers and telecast of reports by television news-channels giving publicity to purported recommendations contained in the draft report of the Committee are based on unsubstantiated and unauthorized sources. Such reports, besides being a breach of privilege and contempt of the House, amount to lowering the dignity of the Inquiry Committee as well as the House and may attract penal powers of the House.