Syllabus: GS 2 – Parliament and State legislatures—structure, functioning, conduct of business, powers & privileges and issues arising out of these.
| The role of individual MPs (Members of Parliament) has diminished over the years and as a result healthy constructive debates on policy issues are not usually witnessed. How far can this be attributed to the anti-defection law, which was legislated but with a different intention? | 2013 |
| The ‘Powers, Privileges and Immunities of Parliament and its Members’ as envisaged in Article 105 of the Constitution leave room for a large number of un-codified and un- enumerated privileges to continue. Assess the reasons for the absence of legal codification of the ‘parliamentary privileges’. How can this problem be addressed? | 2014 |
| The Indian Constitution has provisions for holding a joint session of the two houses of the Parliament. Enumerate the occasions when this would normally happen and also the occasions when it cannot, with reasons thereof. | 2017 |
| Why do you think the committees are considered to be useful for parliamentary work? Discuss, in this context, the role of the Estimates Committee. | 2018 |
| Individual parliamentarian’s role as the national lawmaker is on a decline, which in turn, has adversely impacted the quality of debates and their outcome. Discuss. | 2019 |
| ‘Once a Speaker, Always a speaker’! Do you think this practice should be adopted to impart objectivity to the office of the Speaker of Lok Sabha? What could be its implication for the robust functioning of parliamentary business in India? | 2020 |
| Rajyasabha has been transformed from a ‘useless Stepney tire’ to the most useful supportive organ in past few decades. Highlight the factors as well as areas in which this transformation could be visible. | 2020 |
| To what extent, in your view, the Parliament is able to ensure accountability of the executive in India? | 2021 |
| Discuss the role of Presiding Officers of state legislatures in maintaining order and impartiality in conducting legislative work and in facilitating best democratic practices. | 2023 |
| Explain the structure of the Parliamentary Committee system. How far have the financial committees helped in the institutionalisation of Indian Parliament? | 2023 |