Content

1. As Parliament Reconvenes, Let’s Ask Why Legislature Is in Retreat 
2. Political Representation of Animals

As Parliament Reconvenes, Let’s Ask Why Legislature Is in Retreat 

Why is it in News?

• Editorials highlighting a deepening institutional crisis: the weakening of the Parliament, erosion of legislative oversight, and rising executive dominance.
• Comes at a time when the Parliament reconvenes amid concerns over shrinking sittings, weak scrutiny, anti-defection law distortions, and declining parliamentary debate.
• The piece questions whether India’s parliamentary democracy is shifting from a Westminster-style balance to an executive-centered monologue.

Relevance

GS 2 – Polity & Constitution

• Separation of powers.
• Parliamentary functioning & reforms.
• Anti-defection law (Tenth Schedule).
• Legislative oversight mechanisms.
• Decline of deliberative democracy.

GS 2 – Governance

• Executive accountability.
• Role of Opposition.
• Strengthening institutions.

Practice Questions 

• The Indian Parliament is witnessing a long-term decline in deliberation and oversight. Critically examine the institutional and political factors responsible.(250 Words)

Westminster Model & Indian Parliament

• Westminster model principles:
  • Executive is accountable to the legislature.
  • Legislature ensures oversight, scrutiny, and debate.
• In India:
  • Parliament = Lok Sabha + Rajya Sabha + President.
  • Core functions: lawmaking, budget approval, executive oversight, debate.
• Key accountability instruments:
  • Question Hour
  • Zero Hour
  • Standing Committees
  • Privileges & motions (censure, no-confidence, adjournment)

Key Issues Highlighted in the Article

Decline in Parliamentary Sittings

• First Lok Sabha: 135 sittings/year (1952–1957).
• 17th Lok Sabha: ~55 sittings/year.
• Impact:
  • Shrinks deliberation time.
  • Reduces scrutiny of laws, budgets, and executive actions.
  • Weakens democratic accountability.

Executive Dominance Over Legislature

• Govt dismisses or bypasses Opposition motions.
• Bills passed with minimal discussion or in minutes.
• Significant laws enacted as Money Bills → avoids Rajya Sabha scrutiny.
• Ordinance route used frequently.

Anti-defection Law Weakening Legislatures

• Intended to prevent horse-trading.
• Now suppresses legislative independence.
• MPs/MLAs vote as party dictates, not conscience.
• Parliamentarians reduced to “numbers” rather than active deliberators.

Decline of Question Hour & Zero Hour

• First casualties in many sessions.
• Question Hour is the only time the executive is directly accountable.
• Cancellation/curtailment → weakens transparency.

Weakening of Parliamentary Committees

• Fewer bills sent to committees.
• Committees, supposed to be spaces for bipartisan expert scrutiny, now bypassed frequently.

Growing Political Intolerance

• Opposition reduced to disruption rather than debate.
• Govt opting for speedy passage rather than engagement.
• Leads to mutual distrust and a hollowed-out legislature.

Misuse of Expulsion and Suspension

• Increasing numbers of Opposition MPs suspended in recent sessions.
• Expulsion used as a political tool, disrupting balance.

Erosion of Constitutional Conventions

• British model relied heavily on unwritten conventions (e.g., ministerial responsibility).
• Indian practice drifting toward:
  • Maximal control by the executive.
  • Minimal space for opposition.
  • Decline of conventions into partisan practices.

Comparative Perspective

UK Parliament

• PM’s Questions: weekly direct accountability.
• Strong committee system: ministers regularly testify.

US Congress

• Congressional committees have real investigative powers.
• Separation of powers enforces robust checks.

Australia & Canada

• Strong traditions of legislative oversight from Westminster inheritance.

India

• Moving towards executive primacy and legislative compliance, reversing classic Westminster balance.

Consequences for Indian Democracy

• Weak accountability allows unchecked executive power.
• Rapid legislation without debate harms legal quality.
• Erosion of federalism as Parliament acts less as a representative forum.
• Public trust declines when Parliament is seen as dysfunctional.
• Loss of deliberative democracy → threats to core constitutional ethos.

Solutions Suggested by the Article

• Recalibrate the anti-defection law to restore legislator independence.
• Re-emphasize parliamentary questions, debates, and committee scrutiny.
• Restore Westminster traditions of:
  • Ministerial accountability
  • Open debate
  • Respect for Opposition
• Rebuild constitutional morality and conventions.
• Make Parliament a space of genuine deliberation, not just political theatre.

Conclusion  

• India is drifting from a deliberative Westminster Parliament toward an executive-centric model, eroding constitutional checks.
• Legislative decline weakens accountability, federalism, and the very architecture of parliamentary democracy.
• Revitalisation requires structural reforms in sittings, scrutiny, anti-defection law, and restoration of conventions ensuring genuine debate.

Political Representation of Animals

Why is it in News?

• Editorials calls for institutionalised political representation for animals.
• Argues that current democratic structures are structurally incapable of representing animal interests due to anthropocentric design.
• Proposes fiduciary, independent institutions with constitutional protection to represent animals in policymaking.

Relevance

GS 2 – Governance / Polity

• Institutional design and reforms
• Non-majoritarian bodies
• Representation of vulnerable groups
• Accountability mechanisms
• Constitutional morality

GS 3 – Environment & Biodiversity

• Human-animal conflict
• Wildlife protection frameworks
• Ethical governance of ecosystems

GS 4 – Ethics

• Justice for non-human beings
• Stewardship model
• Ethical decision-making beyond anthropocentrism

Practice Question  

• Democracies structurally fail to represent non-human animals. Critically discuss with reference to institutional design.(250 Words)

Anthropocentrism & Political Theory

• Modern political thought separates “human” vs “animal”, equating political agency with human-only attributes (reason, language).
• This foundational split creates:
  • Animals as non-subjects
  • Reduction of animals to property
  • Denial of representation in democratic institutions
• Historically, “the animal” is treated as a single, homogeneous category, erasing diversity across non-human species.

Core Argument of the Article

Structural Flaw in Democracy

• Democracies recognise only voting populations.
• Animals cannot vote, lobby, litigate, or influence elections.
• Therefore, under majoritarian logic, animal interests are systematically excluded.

The Problem is Institutional, Not Moral

• Not a lack of compassion but a legal-institutional vacuum.
• Laws treat animals as property, not as beings with protectable interests.
• Welfare protections are reactive, not proactive.

Reframing Representation

Representation ≠ Voting Rights

• Animals should not be forced into human standards like rationality or speech.
• Representation should be grounded in:
  • Sentience
  • Embodiment
  • Absolute vulnerability
  • Unchosen dependency

Human role shifts from caretaker → trustee

• Humans act as fiduciary guardians, accountable to animals.
• Must justify decisions in land use, food systems, environment, security etc. through an animal-impact lens.

Why Majoritarian Democracy Fails Animals

• No electoral power → no political weight.
• State is a beneficiary of animal exploitation (tax revenue, agribusiness, subsidies).
• Ministries cannot credibly commit to protecting animals when they simultaneously support animal-dependent industries.
• Hence: representation must be non-majoritarian.

Institutional Architecture Proposed

Fiduciary Institutions

• Independent bodies mandated solely to represent animal interests.
• Model already exists for:
  • Children’s rights
  • Environmental protection agencies
  • Data protection authorities
  • Future generations commissions

Requirements for Effective Bodies

• Constitutional protection
• Operational independence
• Transparent, expertise-based appointments
• Fixed terms with rotation
• Rule-based procedures (not personality-dependent)
• Dedicated budgets
• Standardised welfare impact assessments

Multi-level Representation

Executive level

• Advisory councils to review rules for animal welfare impacts.

Parliamentary level

• Specialized committees/subcommittees on animal welfare.
• Mandatory Animal-Impact Assessments for relevant bills.
• Non-voting expert delegates integrated into legislative processes (similar to fiscal councils).

Regulatory level

• Independent statutory bodies with enforcement powers to prevent capture by industry.

Accountability Mechanisms

• Annual audits based on objective welfare metrics (preventable harm reductions).
• Public reporting of:
  • Decisions
  • Scientific evidence
  • Reasoning
• Horizontal checks to complement parliamentary oversight.
• Transparent consultations with diverse stakeholders to avoid elite capture.

Case Study: Supreme Court Elephant Committee

• SC created an independent committee headed by a retired judge for elephant welfare.
• Example of fiduciary design.
• But failed due to:
  • Procedural delays
  • Lack of seriousness
  • No action on verified cruelty complaints
• Illustrates the need for rigorous accountability and rule-based procedures.

Implementation Roadmap

• Gradual reform with pilot projects:
  • Animal-impact reviews in urban planning
  • Welfare-based certification systems
• Funding sources:
  • Reallocation of harmful subsidies
  • Transparent public budgets
• Public education to normalize animals as part of democratic responsibility.

Broader Significance

• Not only moral ethics but a deepening of democracy.
• Builds inclusiveness for vulnerable beings who cannot represent themselves.
• Strengthens constitutional values of justice, compassion, and dignity.