Better legislature-judiciary relations on presiding officers’ Jaipur meet agenda

The valedictory address on Thursday will be delivered by Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra, a statement from the Vice-President’s Secretariat on Monday had said.

Ahead of the inaugural, Birla chaired a meeting of the Standing Committee of AIPOC in which seven state Speakers took part and discussed the agenda of the conference.

“It was decided in the meeting that during the conference, there will be a detailed discussion on India’s leadership of G20 and the role of legislatures in the same. As the mother of democracy, India is a role model for the democratic nations from across the world… In this context, it is important that in the next one year, along with G-20 countries, India plays the role of a guide in the direction of democratic empowerment in countries around the world,” the Lok Sabha Secretariat said.

The conference will also deliberate on the relationship between the judiciary and the legislatures.

“Shri Birla also mentioned that the Constitution has defined the responsibilities and authority of the legislature, judiciary and executive. It is necessary that these three organs work in a harmonious manner as per the spirit of the Constitution. During the conference, delegates will also brainstorm on how to strengthen mutual relations while avoiding interference in each other’s tasks,” the Lok Sabha Secretariat said.

This comes in the wake of statements by Dhankhar that the Supreme Court’s decision in 2015 to strike down the National Judicial Appointments Commission Act, 2014, was an undoing of the will of the people as expressed by Parliament.

Making Parliament and state legislatures more effective and accountable; and efforts to bring all legislatures onto a common digital platform will also be on the agenda. The conference will also review the status of resolutions passed in previous gatherings, including creating uniform rules for all legislatures in the country, and strengthening the functioning of committees.

The apex body of legislatures of the country had its first conference in Shimla in 1921. To mark its centenary year, the 82nd AIPOC was held in Shimla in 2021 and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had delivered the inaugural address, emphasising the importance of “duty, duty, duty” as the mantra for the next 25 years — till India marks the 100th anniversary of Independence.