The parliamentary committee examining the Bills on simultaneous elections has dropped its proposed October 6 visit to the Supreme Court for an interaction with judges, following strong objections from Opposition members.
Committee chairperson P.P. Chaudhary, however, said the visit had been deferred because of scheduling difficulties. “I also have other commitments to attend to,” he said.
The decision came after an Opposition MP wrote to Mr. Chaudhary expressing concern that any interaction with the Chief Justice of India or other sitting judges on the proposed legislation could blur the separation of powers and raise questions about the institutional independence of Parliament and the judiciary.
The member is learnt to have argued that Parliament’s role in framing laws must remain distinct from the judiciary’s role in reviewing their constitutional validity. Seeking the views of sitting judges on legislation that could later come before the Supreme Court, the MP said, could create an avoidable institutional overlap.
Earlier in the day, Independent Rajya Sabha member Kapil Sibal also objected to the proposed visit, describing it as “unconstitutional” and contrary to the principle of separation of powers. Mr. Sibal said he was unaware of any precedent of a parliamentary panel interacting with Supreme Court judges over legislation that could subsequently be challenged before the court.
The Joint Committee is examining the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024, and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which seek to create a framework for holding simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies. The Bills were introduced in the Lok Sabha in December 2024 and later referred to the committee for scrutiny.
