RAS question
Parliamentary privileges in India are dealt with under which Article?
Correct answer: (C) Article 105.
Parliamentary privileges in India are dealt with under Article 105 of the Constitution, which covers the powers, privileges and immunities of Parliament, its members and its committees.
Explanation
Article 105 is the constitutional provision for parliamentary privileges at the Union level. The official Constitution text places it under "Powers, Privileges and Immunities of Parliament and its Members" and titles it as the provision on the powers, privileges, etc., of the Houses of Parliament and of their members and committees. Its core protection is functional: subject to the Constitution and parliamentary procedure rules, members have freedom of speech in Parliament. It also states that no member is liable to court proceedings for anything said or any vote given in Parliament or in a parliamentary committee. That is why Article 105, not the procedural or judicial-review provisions in the other options, answers the question.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Article 122 concerns the bar on courts inquiring into parliamentary proceedings, so it is linked to judicial scrutiny of procedure rather than defining parliamentary privileges.
- (B) Article 100 deals with voting in the Houses and quorum, which is a decision-making rule and not the privileges framework.
- (D) Article 118 deals with rules of procedure, whereas the privileges and immunities of Parliament, its members and committees are specifically covered by Article 105.
Concept
This tests the Union Parliament section of Indian Polity, especially the distinction between privileges, procedure and judicial non-interference. RAS repeatedly asks such article-based questions because closely placed provisions are easy to confuse in prelims.