PRIVATE MEMBERS BILL Syllabus GS Paper 2 - Polity)

Context: Recently, a discussion was started in the Parliament on a private member’s Bill to amend the Constitution demanding a system to fix the accountability of Governors.

Private Member’s Bill

• About: The Bills introduced by private members are referred to as private member’s Bills and those introduced by ministers are called government Bills.
• Introduction: A Private Member’s Bill can be introduced in either the Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha.
• Admission of a Private Bill - is decided by the Chairperson in the case of the Rajya Sabha and the Speaker in the case of the Lok Sabha.
• Parliamentary Committee

oLok Sabha: It has a special Parliamentary Committee on Private Member's Bills and Resolutions, with 15 members, and the Deputy speaker as its Chairperson.

oRajya Sabha does not have such a committee, however, the same function is performed by its Business Advisory committee.

• Private member: Any Member of Parliament, who is not a minister, is referred to as a private member. Both private members and ministers take part in the law-making process.
• Private member Bill (Status): Only 14 private member bills (5 introduced in Rajya Sabha) have become laws since the first Lok Sabha in 1952. No private member’s Bill has been passed by Parliament since 1970.

oFirst private member bill to become a law was the Muslim Wakfs Bill, 1952, passed in 1954.

oLast Private Member bill passed was Supreme Court (Enlargement of Criminal Appellate Jurisdiction) Bill, 1968.