Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has referred BJP MP Nishikant Dubey’s complaint against Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra to the House Ethics Committee.
About the Ethics Committee
- The Ethics Committee, Rajya Sabha, the first such Committee by any legislature in India was constituted by the Chairman, Rajya Sabha on 4 March 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 Speaker 13th Lok Sabha (Late Shri G.M.C. Balayogi) constituted the first Ethics Committee in Lok Sabha on 16 May, 2000.
- It is an ad-hoc Committee of the House. This Lok Sabha Ethics Committee consists of 15 Members nominated by the Speaker.
- The term of the Committee is one year.
- Its function is to examine 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 and formulate a code of conduct for Members and suggest amendments or additions to the code of conduct from time to time.
- Any person can complain against a member through another Lok Sabha MP along with all evidence of misconduct and an affidavit stating that the complaint is not “false, frivolous or vexatious”.
- A member, too, can complain against another member with evidence without any need for an accompanying affidavit.
- The Speaker can refer to the committee any complaint against an MP.
- The committee makes a prima facie enquiry before deciding to examine a complaint and after the evaluation of the complaint makes its recommendations.
