Recall of M.P. Bill introduced in the Parliament of Britain

Queen of Britain on 5 June 2014 announced to introduce a new legislation bill Recall of Member of Parliament (M.P.) Bill. The Bill will allow voters to sack misbehaving MPs.

The Queen announced the Recall of MPs Bill that will allow constituents to force a by-election if an MP behaves badly. The purpose of the Bill is to fill a gap in the regulatory oversight of MPs by allowing voters to trigger a by-election

Recall of M.P. Bill

•    The voters will be required the signatures of at least 10% of registered voters within an eight-week period to introduce the recall of M.P.

•    The new power of recall will be triggered only if MPs are given jail sentences or if the House of Commons agree that they have engaged in serious wrongdoing.

India’s stand on Right to recall Bill

India is witnessing a constant rise in unethical and irresponsible behaviour on the part of the elected legislators. In this backdrop, there has been a wide-spread demand to have a right to recall or a right to de-elect our elected representatives.

The need to have a Right to recall was highlighted by the Hon. Supreme Court in State of Madhya Pradesh & Ors. v. Shri Ram Singh. Right to recall is a democratic tool which ensures a greater accountability in the political system as the electorate retains control over those legislators who are underperforming or are misusing their office for their selfish gains.

As of today, India does not have a recall provision except in certain states like Madhya-Pradesh or Chhattisgarh where people have the right to recall their representatives in local bodies.

Apart from this, the successful recall elections were held in local bodies of Chhattisgarh in the year 2008.