Plea in SC seeks route to empower residents to petition Parliament

By PTI

NEW DELHI: A plea has been filed within the Supreme Court looking for a route to the Centre and others to take steps to create an applicable system which empowers residents to petition Parliament and search initiation of deliberations on points highlighted by them.

The plea got here up for listening to on Friday earlier than a bench comprising justices Okay M Joseph and B V Nagarathna.

The bench requested the counsel showing for petitioner Karan Garg to serve a replica of the plea to the Centre’s lawyer and posted the matter in February. Advocate Rohan J Alva appeared for the petitioner.

The plea has sought a declaration that it’s the elementary proper of residents underneath Articles 14, 19(1)(a) and 21 of the Constitution to immediately petition Parliament to hunt initiation of a debate, dialogue and deliberation on the problems highlighted by them of their petitions.

“The present writ petition prays that it is imperative for the respondents (Centre and others) to take substantive steps in order to ensure that citizens can have their voices heard in Parliament without facing undue barriers and difficulties,” it mentioned.

The plea mentioned as an peculiar citizen of the nation, the petitioner felt “disempowered” when it got here to participation within the democratic course of and after folks forged their votes and elect representatives, there isn’t a scope for any additional participation.

It mentioned there’s a full absence of any formal mechanism by which residents can have interaction with the lawmakers and take steps to be able to be sure that points that are of significant significance are debated in Parliament.

“The absence of this mechanism creates a void between elected representatives and the citizens. The people are disconnected from the law-making process. This distancing of the citizens from their inherent rights to fully participate in Indian democracy is a matter of grave concern and is an issue which needs to be immediately addressed,” the plea mentioned.

It mentioned a system by which the residents can immediately petition Parliament is already in place within the United Kingdom and it has been working properly for a number of years.

It additionally mentioned that if residents have the power to interact with the Centre and Parliament at a deeper stage, it might scale back the burden on the apex court docket and excessive courts “since there may exist an effective and alternative remedy for espousing and pursuing public interest causes.”

The plea mentioned residents have a elementary proper to take part in democratic affairs and are constitutionally entitled to current workable and constructive options to Parliament on issues of nationwide significance in order that public curiosity is appropriately safeguarded.

“The current system does not fully allow citizens to initiate discussions in Parliament by moving appropriate petitions,” it added.

The petition mentioned formulation of well-reasoned and affordable guidelines which permit residents to immediately petition Parliament will usher in a transformative period of democratic governance and create an setting for strong engagement between the folks of the nation and the members of Parliament.

It has sought route from the Centre and others to expeditiously take steps to create an applicable system or affordable guidelines and laws which empower residents to petition Parliament and search initiation of a debate on the problems highlighted by them.

NEW DELHI: A plea has been filed within the Supreme Court looking for a route to the Centre and others to take steps to create an applicable system which empowers residents to petition Parliament and search initiation of deliberations on points highlighted by them.

The plea got here up for listening to on Friday earlier than a bench comprising justices Okay M Joseph and B V Nagarathna.

The bench requested the counsel showing for petitioner Karan Garg to serve a replica of the plea to the Centre’s lawyer and posted the matter in February. Advocate Rohan J Alva appeared for the petitioner.

The plea has sought a declaration that it’s the elementary proper of residents underneath Articles 14, 19(1)(a) and 21 of the Constitution to immediately petition Parliament to hunt initiation of a debate, dialogue and deliberation on the problems highlighted by them of their petitions.

“The present writ petition prays that it is imperative for the respondents (Centre and others) to take substantive steps in order to ensure that citizens can have their voices heard in Parliament without facing undue barriers and difficulties,” it mentioned.

The plea mentioned as an peculiar citizen of the nation, the petitioner felt “disempowered” when it got here to participation within the democratic course of and after folks forged their votes and elect representatives, there isn’t a scope for any additional participation.

It mentioned there’s a full absence of any formal mechanism by which residents can have interaction with the lawmakers and take steps to be able to be sure that points that are of significant significance are debated in Parliament.

“The absence of this mechanism creates a void between elected representatives and the citizens. The people are disconnected from the law-making process. This distancing of the citizens from their inherent rights to fully participate in Indian democracy is a matter of grave concern and is an issue which needs to be immediately addressed,” the plea mentioned.

It mentioned a system by which the residents can immediately petition Parliament is already in place within the United Kingdom and it has been working properly for a number of years.

It additionally mentioned that if residents have the power to interact with the Centre and Parliament at a deeper stage, it might scale back the burden on the apex court docket and excessive courts “since there may exist an effective and alternative remedy for espousing and pursuing public interest causes.”

The plea mentioned residents have a elementary proper to take part in democratic affairs and are constitutionally entitled to current workable and constructive options to Parliament on issues of nationwide significance in order that public curiosity is appropriately safeguarded.

“The current system does not fully allow citizens to initiate discussions in Parliament by moving appropriate petitions,” it added.

The petition mentioned formulation of well-reasoned and affordable guidelines which permit residents to immediately petition Parliament will usher in a transformative period of democratic governance and create an setting for strong engagement between the folks of the nation and the members of Parliament.

It has sought route from the Centre and others to expeditiously take steps to create an applicable system or affordable guidelines and laws which empower residents to petition Parliament and search initiation of a debate on the problems highlighted by them.