Raghav Chadha Appointed Chairman of Rajya Sabha Committee on Petitions:
Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha was appointed as the new Chairman of the Committee on Petitions of the Rajya Sabha.
- The Committee on Petitions is one of the oldest committees of Parliament, originating from a Council of State resolution moved on 15th September 1921 to create a Committee on Public Petitions with power to take evidence.
- The Committee received its present name, Committee on Petitions, in 1933.
- The Rajya Sabha Committee on Petitions was first constituted in 1952 with a Chairman and four other members; its membership was increased to ten in 1964 and has continued as such.
- It is a Standing Committee of the Rajya Sabha, constituted under Rule 147 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Rajya Sabha.
- Members are nominated by the Chairman of Rajya Sabha, who also appoints the Committee Chairman; quorum is five and the Committee is usually reconstituted annually.
- The Committee examines petitions referred to it, reports to the House on specific complaints, and may recommend individual remedies or broader corrective measures.
- The Committee may take evidence, call for papers, seek comments from Ministries or Departments, examine witnesses, hear petitioners and suggest remedial measures to address grievances or prevent their recurrence.
- A petition must be submitted in the prescribed form, addressed to the Rajya Sabha, written in respectful and temperate language, contain a concise statement of grievance and prayer, and be signed or thumb-impressed by the petitioner.
- Since the 1964 revision of the Rules, petitions may be presented not only on Bills or pending business but also on matters of general public interest, subject to certain limitations.
- A member gives advance notice to the Secretary-General; the Secretariat checks admissibility, the Chairman admits it, and it is presented after papers are laid on the Table without debate, after which it is referred to the Committee.
