LS Speaker Birla nominates 15 members to Committee of Privileges; Ravi Shankar Prasad to be Chairperson

New Delhi [India], March 3 (ANI): Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday officially nominated members to the Committee of Privileges, effective from March 3, 2026. The panel, which is tasked with examining issues related to breaches of parliamentary privilege and recommending necessary action, will be chaired by BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad.
The other members nominated include Brijmohan Agrawal (BJP), Tariq Anwar (INC), Manickam Tagore B (INC), TR Baalu (DMK), Kalyan Banerjee (AITC), Shrirang Appa Chandu Barne (Shiv Sena), Ramvir Singh Bidhuri (BJP), Sangeeta Kumari Singh Deo (BJP), Jagdambika Pal (BJP), Trivendra Singh Rawat (BJP), Arvind Ganpat Sawant (Shiv Sena (UBT), Jagadish Shettar (BJP), Manish Tewari (INC), and Dharmendra Yadav (Samajwadi Party).
The Committee of Privileges plays a critical role in safeguarding the privileges of Members of Parliament, addressing complaints of contempt, and ensuring the dignity of parliamentary proceedings is maintained. Its formation is seen as a routine yet significant step in strengthening legislative oversight.
The panel will be responsible for examining cases referred by the Speaker and reporting on matters where breaches of privilege are alleged, thereby ensuring that parliamentary decorum is upheld.
When a question of privilege is referred to the Committee by the House, the report of the Committee is presented to the House by the Chairman or, in his absence, by any member of the Committee. Where a question of privilege is referred to the Committee by the Speaker under Rule 227, the report of the Committee is presented to the Speaker who may pass final orders thereon or direct that it be laid on the Table of the House.
Recently, Om Birla reconstituted the three-member inquiry committee tasked with examining the grounds for the removal of Justice Yashwant Varma. The reconstituted panel will come into effect from March 6, 2026, according to an official Lok Sabha notification.
The committee was originally constituted in March last year following demands for Justice Varma's removal after bundles of burnt cash were allegedly discovered at his residence, triggering widespread concern and calls for an inquiry.
As per the notification, the reconstituted committee comprises Justice Arvind Kumar, Judge, Supreme Court of India, Justice Chandrashekhar, Chief Justice, Bombay High Court, B V Acharya, Senior Advocate, Karnataka High Court. Justice Arvind Kumar and B V Acharya were members of the previous panel, while Justice Chandrashekhar has been inducted as a new member. He replaces Manindra Mohan Shrivastava, Chief Justice of the Madras High Court.
The panel will continue examining the allegations and circumstances that led to demands for Justice Varma's removal. The committee is expected to review evidence and submit its findings as part of the prescribed parliamentary process.
The case pertains to the recovery of unaccounted and partially burnt cash from the official residence of Justice Varma, then a sitting judge of the Delhi High Court. Following the internal inquiry, the former CJI, Sanjiv Khanna, forwarded a recommendation to the President and the Prime Minister of India to initiate the procedure for his removal. Subsequently, on July 21, 2025, a motion was moved in both Houses of Parliament for Justice Varma's removal.
On August 12, 2025, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha formed a three-member Inquiry Committee to investigate the charges against Justice Varma. The Lok Sabha Speaker's decision came after he received a notice of the motion, signed by 146 Members of Parliament, seeking Justice Yashwant Varma's removal. (ANI)