Parliamentary committee business not to be leaked with media: RS Chairman Venkaiah Naidu

Rajya Sabha Chairman and Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu has written to chairpersons of parliamentary standing committees asking them to ensure proceedings of panel meetings related to the subject matters or legislative bills under their consideration and examination are not leaked to the media.

In the letter, V-P Naidu also told heads of eight standing committees under the Rajya Sabha that it is mandatory to carry out detailed scrutiny of legislative proposals which was not feasible for Parliament to do so in the transaction of its day-to-day business.

"While commending the standing committees, he wrote, "However, for some time now, it has been observed that the media has been found quoting, in their reportage, the proceedings of the committees related to the subject matters or the legislative Bills under their consideration and examination."

The Rajya Sabha chairman further stated that "it is not permissible for a member of the committee or anyone who has access to its proceedings to communicate, directly or indirectly, to the media any information regarding its proceedings, including any part of the report or any conclusions, arrived at by the committee finally or tentatively before the report has been presented to the House."

Violation of this would tantamount to "breach of privilege of the House," he stated in the letter.

Naidu's letter comes a day after Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla wrote to chairpersons of parliamentary standing committees advising them to ensure confidentiality of panel meetings.

Om Birla in his letter stated that the members should not speak to the media about the proceedings of the committee until the report of the committee is presented in Parliament. He has also advised the chairpersons of the committees that Rule 270 should be taken care of while choosing subjects to be discussed in the committee.

( With inputs from ANI )