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New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a plea seeking direction to the Lok Sabha Secretariat to inaugurate the new Parliament House by President Draupadi Murmu, who is the “first citizen of India and head of the institution”. The petition states that the respondents – the Lok Sabha Secretariat and the Union of India – are “insulting” the President by not inviting him for the inauguration. A lawyer’s plea to the top court comes amid a huge controversy over the scheduled inauguration of the new Parliament House on May 28 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Around 20 opposition parties have decided to boycott the ceremony in protest against the “sidelining” of the President.
“When the soul of democracy has been sucked out of Parliament, we find no value in the new building,” said 19 political parties in a joint statement on Wednesday. The BJP-led NDA hit back, condemning the “disgraceful” decision. The parties affiliated to the ruling NDA said in a statement on Wednesday, “This act is not only deplorable, but it is a gross insult to the democratic values and constitutional values of our great country.”
The PIL filed by advocate Jaya Sukin states that the statement issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat on May 18 and the invitation issued by the Secretary General, Lok Sabha regarding the inauguration of the new Parliament House is in violation of the Constitution.
“The President is the first citizen of India and the head of the institution of Parliament,” it noted and sought a direction from the Supreme Court to facilitate the inauguration by Murmu. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla had recently met the Prime Minister and invited him to inaugurate the new building. Modi had also laid the foundation stone of the building in 2020 and most opposition parties had stayed away from the event even then.
“As per the Constitution, the Parliament consists of the President of India and the two houses of the apex legislature, the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha,” the petition said. “Article 79 of the Constitution states that there shall be a Parliament for the Union consisting of the President and two Houses – the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) and the House of the People (Lok Sabha). But the respondent is not following the Indian Constitution The PIL stated.
Referring to Article 79 of the Constitution, it said, the presidency is an integral part of the parliamentary form of democracy and the apex court’s intervention is needed to save the “democracy of this country”.
“Further Article 87 says that at the beginning of each parliamentary session, the President shall address both Houses and inform Parliament of the reasons for the summons. But the respondents (the Lok Sabha Secretariat and the Union of India) are trying to ‘humiliate’ the President. President of India Draupadi Murmu is not being invited for the inauguration of the new Parliament House.
