Committee on Ethics

Committee on Ethics

Subject :Polity

Section: Parliament/legislatures

1. Each of the two Houses of Parliament has an ethics committee. They deal with the members’
2. Besides overseeing the moral and ethical conduct of members, ethics committee also prepares a Code of Conduct for members, which are amended from time to time. The ethics committee in Lok Sabha has 15 In Rajya Sabha this number stands at 10.

Who can file complaint?

Any person may make a complaint to the Committee regarding alleged unethical behaviour or breach of Code of Conduct by a member or alleged incorrect information of a member’s interests. The Committee may also take up matters suo motu.

Punishment

Where it has been found that a member has indulged in unethical behaviour or there is other misconduct or a member has contravened the rules, the Committee may recommend imposition of one or more of the sanctions. This may include censure, reprimand, suspension from the House for a specific period or any other sanction determined by the Committee.

Code of Conduct: Evolution 

A code for Union ministers was adopted in 1964, and state governments were advised to adopt it as well.

n the case of MPs, the first step was the constitution of Parliamentary Standing Committees on Ethics in both the Houses.

• The Committee in Rajya Sabha was inaugurated in 1997 to oversee the moral and ethical conduct of the Members and to examine the cases referred to it with reference to ethical and other misconduct of Members.
• The first Ethics Committee in Lok Sabha was constituted in the year 2000.

Code of Conduct in Lok Sabha

The Ethics Committee has been constituted for every newly elected Lok Sabha (since 13th Lok Sabha) .

• The Ethics Committee was mandated in August 2015 to formulate a code of conduct for Lok Sabha members and suggest amendments to the code from time to time.
• The Committee examines every complaint relating to unethical conduct of a member of Lok Sabha referred to it by the Speaker and make such recommendations as it may deem fit

Code of Conduct in Rajya Sabha

A 14-point Code of Conduct for members of the House has been in force since 2005. These include:

• Private interests are subordinate to the duty of the public
• Public interest is not
• Members should never expect or accept any fee, remuneration or benefit for a vote given or not given by them on the floor of the House, for introducing a Bill, etc.
• Members must not do anything that brings disrepute to the Parliament and affects their credibility.
• Members must utilise their position as Members of Parliament to advance general well-being of the
• Members should not be disrespectful to any religion and work for the promotion of secular
• Members should keep uppermost in their minds the fundamental duties listed in part IVA of the Constitution.
• Members are expected to maintain high standards of morality, dignity, decency and values in public

A ‘Register of Member’s Interests’ maintained under the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Council of States states is available to Members for inspection on request. The Register is also accessible to ordinary citizens under the Right To Information (RTI) Act, 2005.