JOINT PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – Polity)

Context: The ruling party and the opposition clashed over Hindenburg Research’s allegations against SEBI Chairperson, with the ruling party rejecting the opposition's call for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) investigation.

Joint Parliamentary Committee

• Establishment: The JPC is an ad-hoc Committee set up by Parliament to examine specific subjects or Bills thoroughly.
• Composition: Includes members from both Houses of Parliament, representing both ruling and opposition parties, and is chaired by a Lok Sabha member appointed by the Speaker.
• Determination of Members: Parliament decides the composition, with no set limit on the number of members.
• Dissolution: The committee is dissolved after fulfilling its term or completing its task.
• Recommendations: Recommendations are advisory and not mandatory, though they are often accepted if they come from a majority of ruling party members.
• Evidence Gathering: The JPC can gather evidence from various sources, including experts, public bodies, and individuals, either on its own initiative or in response to requests.

Powers of the Committee

• Can obtain evidence from experts, public bodies, associations, and individuals, either suo motu or upon request.
• Failure to appear before a JPC in response to summons constitutes contempt of the House.
• Generally not called to give evidence, but the JPC can seek information from ministers with the Speaker’s permission.
• Can collect oral and written evidence and call for documents related to its inquiry.

Notable Cases of JPC Formation

• Bofors scandal (1987)
• Harshad Mehta Stock market scam (1992)
• Ketan Parekh share market scam (2001)
• Soft drink pesticide issue (2003)
• 2G spectrum case (2011)
• VVIP Chopper scam (2013)
• Land Acquisition (2015)
• NRC (2016)
• Personal Data Protection Bill (2019)