No Placards, Mobile Phones In Uttar Pradesh Assembly; New Rules To Ensure Digitization, Accountability

The Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly is set to reform itself with a new set of rules for the first time in the past 65 years.

These new regulations aim not only to establish more stringent conduct guidelines for the assembly members but also to usher in a digitized approach to conducting the House's business.

Members will henceforth be prohibited from carrying mobile phones, firearms, flags, or banners into the Assembly. Notably, controversy had erupted in past when some members broadcasted live videos on Facebook from within the assembly.

The upcoming "Rules of Procedures and Conduct of Business of Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, 2023" will replace the previous "Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of UP Legislative Assembly, 1958."

Given previous instances of disorderly conduct, the new rules will prohibit members from tearing any documents within the Assembly premises. Additionally, the window for sending summons to members, formerly set at 14 days before the Governor's summons, will now be shortened to seven days.

Furthermore, the medium for disseminating information, previously limited to newspapers, gazettes, or wire services, will now include "electronic communication."

Under these revised rules, responses to questions will be uploaded online half an hour before the session begins, enabling easy access for all participants, not just the member who raised the question.

The display of placards and banners, which had become routine, will be proscribed within the Assembly. Distributing any literature, questions, books, or press statements unrelated to the House's functioning will also be disallowed.

Furthermore, members will be required to maintain a reasonable noise level in the lobby to prevent disruptions inside the Assembly.

Reading written speeches without prior permission from the speaker and mentioning the names of officers within the Assembly will also be restricted.

These new rules are subject to discussion and proposed amendments until 9 August and are anticipated to be ratified on the session's final day, 11 August.

The new regulations aim to enhance government accountability. For example, when drawing attention to matters of immediate public importance, the government will be obligated to provide responses to the concerned member and the Assembly secretariat within 30 days.

Additionally, if a minister cannot promptly address "short-notice questions," they must inform the Assembly secretariat and provide a concise explanation for the delay.

Moreover, any speech delivered in the Upper House will not be cited in the Assembly unless it pertains to a policy matter.