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ANTI-DEFECTION LAW INTENT AND IMPLICATION

In a recent incident, Lok Sabha Speaker has referred petitions submitted by the Trinamool Congress and the YSR Congress under the anti-defection law against their respective leaders Sisir Adhikari and K Raghu Rama Krishna Raju to the Privileges Committee. Adhikari, a Lok Sabha member from Kanthi in West Bengal, had quit the Trinamool Congress to join the BJP. Raju, a Lok Sabha member from Narasapuram in Andhra Pradesh, had rebelled against the YSRCP.

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ANTI-DEFECTION LAW INTENT AND IMPLICATION

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  1. ANTI-DEFECTIONLAWINTENTANDIMPLICATION • CONTEXT: • InarecentincidentLokSabhaSpeakerhasreferredpetitionssubmittedbytheTrinamool Congressandthe YSRCongressundertheanti-defectionlawagainsttheirrespectiveleadersSisirAdhikariandKRaghuRamaKrishnaRajutothePrivilegesCommittee. • >- Adhikari, aLokSabhamemberfrom KanthiinWestBengal,hadquittheTrinamool • CongresstojointheBJP.Raju,aLokSabhamemberfromNarasapuraminAndhra • Pradesh,hadrebelledagainsttheYSRCP. • India'sexperienceofnearly35yearswiththeanti-defectionlawhasbeeninstructiveonits limitationsand failures. • BACKGROUND:ANTI-DEFECTIONLAW • Theanti-defectionlawwaspassedin1985throughthe52nctAmendmenttotheConstitution andthisamendmentaddedtheTenthScheduletotheIndianConstitution,withanintentto curb"theevilofpoliticaldefections". • Undertheanti-defectionlaw,legislatorsmaybedisqualified:oIftheyresignfromtheirpartyafterbeingelected,or • o Defythedirectionissuedby thepartyleadershipduringavoteonanyissue.

  2. KEYFEATURES: • 1)Theanti-defectionlawdealswithsituationsofdefection inParliamentorstatelegislaturesby:membersofapoliticalparty,independentmembers,andnominatedmembers. • Whencanalegislatorbedisqualified? • Ifamemberofahousebelongingtoapoliticalparty:- • Voluntarilygivesupmembershipof hispolitical party,or-oVotescontrary toadirectionissuedby hispoliticalparty,or • doesnotvoteintheHouseatall,whensuchadirectionisissued. • Exception: amembershallnotbedisqualifiedifhehastakenpriorpermissionofhisparty,oriscondonedbythepartywithin15 daysfromsuchvotingorabstention. • Ifanindependent candidatejoinsapartyafter theelection. • Ifanominatedmemberjoinsapartysixmonthsafterhebecomesamemberofthelegislature. • Exceptions:Apersonshallnotbedisqualifiedifhisoriginalpolitical partymergeswith another(applicableonlyifmorethantwo-thirdsofthe membersofthepartyhaveagreed to themerger) • DecidingAuthority: • TheChairmanortheSpeakeroftheHouse takesthe decisiontodisqualifyamember. • IfacomplaintisreceivedwithrespecttothedefectionoftheChairmanorSpeaker,a memberoftheHouseelectedby thatHouseshall takethedecision • INTENTOFTHEANTI-DEFECTIONLAW: • Twokeyargumentshavebeenusedtojustifyananti-defectionlaw • tocombatpoliticaldefectionsfuelledbypoliticalcorruptionandbribery. • ACommitteeunderHomeMinister YBChavan(1969)formedtoexaminetheneedforananti-defectionlaw,notedthatoutof210defectinglegislatorsofvariousstates inIndia,116weregivenministerialpositionsinthenewgovernment. • defectionsfloutthevoters'mandate • Whenamemberdefectsfromtheparty,hebetraysthefundamentaltrustbasedonwhich peopleelectedhimtopower. • Readmore:MainsAnswerWritingPractice • EFFECTSOFANTI-DEFECTIONLAWONTHEROLEOFALEGISLATOR • Thelawraisesquestionsontheroleofalegislator. • 1)Itrestrains legislatorsfromexpressingtheirconscienceintheHouse.

  3. Inaparliamentarysystem,legislatorsareexpectedtoexercisetheirindependent judgementwhiledeterminingtheirpositiononanissue. • Butitgetsunderminedifthememberismandatedtovotealongthepartyline oneveryBillormotion. • >- Forexample,inadiscussiononriverwatersharingbetweenstates,MPsrepresenting • constituenciesindifferent statesmaybeforcedtovoteinaunanimousmanner, despite • holdingdivergentviews,inordertoavoidtheriskofdisqualificationfrom office 2) Itbreaks thelinkofaccountabilitybetweenthevoterandthe electedrepresentative. Anti-Defection intheOuterWorld • Currently,thereare40countriesthathaveananti-defectionlaw. • Theanti-defectionlawdetersalegislatorfrom hisdutytoholdthegovernmentaccountable, byrequiringhimtofollowtheinstructionofthe partyleadershiponalmosteverydecision. • But among then only six law thatvote countrieshavea mandates legislators to accordingtopartydiktat 3) Itdisturbsthebalanceofpowerbetweentheexecutiveandthe legislature,byconstrainingtheabilityofamembertoholdthegovernmentaccountable. • The sixcountriesthatdisqualify legislatorswhodefy theparty whip are India, Guyana, Pakistan, Sierra Bangladesh, • A legislaturecaneasilyjustifyhisvotingLeoneandZimbabwe decisions andabsolvehimself ofthisrepresentationalresponsibilitytohisvotersby merelysayingthatthepartywhipcompelledhimtovoteinaparticularway. >- For example,theremaybeavoteonaBillinParliamenttoregulate fishtrawling, given itsenvironmentalimpactAnMPrepresentingacoastalconstituencywhere large-scale fishtrawlingsupportsthelocaleconomy,maybe requiredtovoteinfavourofaBill,ifapartywhipisissued.Thisfurtherreducestheaccountabilityofelectedrepresentativestocitizens. • ItleadstomajordecisionsintheHousebeingtakenbyafewpartyleadersand empowerspartyleaderstocompellegislatorstovoteaspertheirinstructions. • InIndia,political partiesfrequentlyissuewhipsonmatterswhich aresubjecttoavoteinParliamentThisimplies thatanyonewhocontrolsthepartyleadershipcanissuedirectionstoalllegislators. • ThisnumberforconsensusmayfurtherbereducedifasinglepartyhasmajorityintheHouse. • FAILUREOFTHEANTI-DEFECTIONLAW

  4. The anti-defectionlawhasfailed tomeetitsobjectiveofcurbing politicaldefections andensuringpoliticalstability. • SOMECASES: • 2008ConfidenceMotion (Centre) • A confidencemotionwasmovedbytheUnitedProgressiveAlliancegovernmentinLok • SabhainJuly2008.ThemotionwasnecessitatedsincetheCommunistPartyofIndia (Marxist)withdrewsupportfromthe governmentoverthenucleardealwiththeUSAAlthough theanti-defectionlawwasinforce,21MPsdefiedthewhipsissuedbytheir • partywhilevoting onthemotion. • 2016AppropriationBill(Uttarakhand) • Nine MLAsoftherulingpartysidedwiththewiththeoppositionindemandinga counting ofvotesonanAppropriationBillthatcouldhavepotentiallyledtothedownfalloftheCongressgovernment • 2015No-ConfidenceMotion(ArunachalPradesh) • In2015,20Congress(ruling party)MLAsdefectedinArunachalPradesh.TheseMLAswiththeoppositionpassedano-confidencevoteagainsttherulinggovernmentina specialsession.In2016,theSupremeCourtheldthedismissaloftheCongressgovernmentasillegalandcalledforitsrestoration.

  5. Thelegislatorisnotabletoexercisehisownconscienceandjudgement,andisunableto dischargehisconstitutionaldutytoholdthegovernmentaccountable. • Thelawhasalsoimpactedtheabilityofvoterstoholdtheirelectedrepresentativeaccountable. thelawdoesnotfixatimeframewithinwhichpresidingofficers arerequiredtodecidedisqualificationpetitions,inseveralcases,theSpeakerhasrendered decisions afteralongperiodoftime. • RECOMMENDATIONS OFVARIOUSBODIESONREFORMINGTHEANTI-DEFECTIONLAW • Politicalpartiesshouldlimitissuanceofwhipstoinstancesonlywhenthegovernmentis indanger. • Disqualification should be limitedtocaseswhere: • >- amembervoluntarilygivesupthemembershipofhispoliticalparty, • >- amemberabstainsfromvoting,orvotescontrarytotheparty whipinamotionof • voteofconfidenceormotionofno-confidence. • Provisionswhichexemptmergersfromdisqualificationshouldbedeleted. • Thewords'voluntarilygiving upmembershipofapoliticalparty'should becomprehensivelydefined. • Theissueofdisqualificationshouldbedecidedby thePresident/Governorontheadvice oftheElectionCommission. • Restrictionslikeprohibitiononjoininganotherpartyorholdingofficesinthegovernmentshould beimposedonexpelledmembers. • Readmore:BeginnerAnswerWriting • EDENIAS(www.edenias.com) -EducationalDevelopment&EnrichmentNetwork • ForanyqueriescontactusonWebsite-https://edenias.com/ • PhoneNo-9354344200,9310855720,9315227819

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