The Supreme Court has rightly refrained from advising Parliament on how best it should conduct itself. Hearing a petition filed by a non-government organisation, it invoked the doctrine of Lakshman rekha not to enter Parliament’s domain. What prompted the NGO to file the plea was the colossal wastage of money, time and human resources involved in the functioning of Parliament. This happens, because the MPs indulge in practices which enhance neither their prestige nor that of the House they belong to. There have been innumerable instances of members creating ugly scenes in the House leading to frequent adjournments; entire sessions of Parliament have been washed out on issues like land acquisition and 2G scam.
The apex court, which is also entrusted with the onerous task of interpreting the Constitution, knows only too well the jurisdiction and division of powers among the executive, legislature and the judiciary. There is a Lakshman rekha, defined or undefined, for each wing of the state and it is in the best interest of the nation that they understand their limitations and act accordingly. The petition gave the court an opportunity to make comments on Parliament’s functioning and such an action would surely have been construed as unwarranted interference. The court preferred to be cautious when it said it knew its own Lakshman rekha. It should be seen as a warning that the other two wings should also respect their own boundaries. After all, the doctrine applies to all the three wings.
While Parliament and its members enjoy certain privileges, which are necessary for their fair functioning, they are not a licence to engage in questionable practices. Parliament is envisaged as a forum of debate and discussion but the same should not degenerate into a shouting and fighting match. Frequent adjournments for want of quorum, decorum and decency do not show the MPs in a good light. True, democracy does not come cheap, as hundreds of crores of rupees are spent on elections alone. The exchequer has to bear the enormous cost involved in the day-to-day functioning of Parliament. The least the tax-payers expect from the MPs is productive use of their time in Parliament without crossing the Lakshman rekha.