After Centre’s pledge, Supreme Court stays Madras high court forest bill order

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday averted an impending tussle between Parliament and judiciary by staying an order of the Madras HC, which had put on hold the proceedings of Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) pursuant to a notification issued in English and Hindi, and not in Tamil, inviting suggestions and objections to the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill, 2023, reports Dhananjay Mahapatra.
A vacation bench of Justices Dipankar Dutta and Pankaj Mithal came to the rescue of the Union government by staying an order of Madurai bench of Madras HC that had put on hold all proceedings of the parliamentary committee till the notification, available in Hindi and English, was published in all vernacular languages. HC had entertained a PIL which had alleged that non-publication of the JPC’s May 3 communique in Tamil deprived the petitioner of the opportunity to make suggestions and register objections to an important bill.
Appearing for the Union government, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said that JPC, in general, invites suggestions and objections to a bill. The Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill was introduced in Lok Sabha on March 29 and was referred to a 31-member JPC.
Mehta said the proceedings before the JPC are part of legislative process and the judiciary is barred from interfering in it. However, with the JPC scheduled to conduct its public hearing in Jammu and Kashmir on Friday, and the HC not agreeing to hear plea for stay of its May 24 order, the Lok Sabha Secretariat had no option but to agree for publication of the May 3 press communique in Tamil.
However, The SG said as per the Constitution, the official language for issuance of communications by Parliament was either English or Hindi.