Exemption of members of legislative bodies from arrest and detention under civil process
Full Text
(1) No person shall be liable to arrest or detention in prison under civil process—
(a) if he is a member of—
(i) either House of Parliament, or
(ii) the Legislative Assembly or Legislative Council of a State, or
(iii) a Legislative Assembly of a Union territory,
during the continuance of any meeting of such House of Parliament or, as the case may be, of the Legislative Assembly or the Legislative Council;
(b) if he is a member of any committee of—
(i) either House of Parliament, or
(ii) the Legislative Assembly of a State or Union territory, or
(iii) the Legislative Council of a State,
during the continuance of any meeting of such committee;
(c) if he is a member of—
(i) either House of Parliament, or
(ii) a Legislative Assembly or Legislative Council of a State having both such Houses,
during the continuance of a joint sitting, meeting, conference or joint committee of the Houses of Parliament or, Houses of the State Legislature, as the case may be,
and during the forty days before and after such meeting, sitting or conference.
(2) A person released from detention under sub-section (1) shall, subject to the provisions, of the said sub-section, be liable to re-arrest and to the further detention to which he would have been liable if he had not been released under the provisions of sub-section (1).
Plain English Summary
Section 135A confers statutory parliamentary and legislative privilege upon members of Parliament, State Legislatures, Union Territory Assemblies, and their committees, shielding them from arrest or detention under civil process during legislative sessions and committee meetings, as well as for forty days before and after such proceedings.
Key Legal Elements
- Legislative Dignitaries Covered: Members of either House of Parliament, State Legislative Assemblies/Councils, and UT Legislative Assemblies.
- Committee and Joint Sittings: Extends to parliamentary committees, legislative committees, and joint sittings/conferences.
- Temporal Duration (40-Day Rule): Operative during the session/meetings and forty days before and after such meetings.
- Civil Process Restriction Only: Absolute bar on civil arrest and civil prison detention; inapplicable to criminal or preventive arrest.
- Re-Arrest Liability (Sub-section 2): Mandates re-arrest and completion of unserved civil detention once the 40-day buffer expires.
Punishment
Civil arrest/detention immunity during legislative sessions/committee meetings and 40 days before and after; re-arrest permitted post-period.
Practical Note
Parliamentary Privilege & Boundaries of Civil Arrest Immunity: 1. Constitutional & Statutory Alignment: Section 135A operationalizes the privileges codified under Articles 105(3) and 194(3) of the Constitution of India, inherited from the British House of Commons 40-day immunity rule. 2. Strictly Confined to Civil Process: The exemption applies exclusively to civil process (e.g. execution of money decrees, civil contempt, or attachment of person under Order XXI). It confers zero immunity against criminal arrest, preventive detention, criminal contempt, or treason/statutory penal offenses (reaffirmed in K. Anandan Nambiar v. Chief Secretary to Government of Madras, AIR 1966 SC 657). 3. The '40 Days Before and After' Rule: The immunity spans the entirety of the session plus 40 days prior to commencement and 40 days following prorogation. In practice, during active legislative calendar years, civil execution against an MP or MLA's person is almost permanently deferred. 4. Suspension of Detention (Sub-section 2): If an MP/MLA is detained under civil process prior to the 40-day window, he must be temporarily released, but remains liable to re-arrest upon expiry of the protected period.
हिंदी पाठ
(1) कोई भी व्यक्ति सिविल आदेशिका के अधीन कारागार में गिरफ्तारी या निरोध का दायी नहीं होगा—
(क) यदि वह—
(i) संसद के किसी सदन का, या
(ii) किसी राज्य की विधान सभा या विधान परिषद् का, या
(iii) किसी संघ राज्यक्षेत्र की विधान सभा का सदस्य है,
संसद के ऐसे सदन की अथवा यथास्थिति, विधान सभा या विधान परिषद् की किसी बैठक के जारी रहने के दौरान;
(ख) यदि वह—
(i) संसद के किसी सदन की, या
(ii) किसी राज्य अथवा संघ राज्यक्षेत्र की विधान सभा की, या
(iii) किसी राज्य की विधान परिषद् की किसी समिति का सदस्य है,
ऐसी समिति की किसी बैठक के जारी रहने के दौरान;
(ग) यदि वह संसद के किसी सदन का, या द्विसदनीय राज्य विधान-मंडल का सदस्य है, तो दोनों सदनों की किसी संयुक्त बैठक, सम्मेलन या संयुक्त समिति के जारी रहने के दौरान,
तथा ऐसी बैठक, अधिवेशन या सम्मेलन से चालीस दिन पूर्व और चालीस दिन पश्चात् की अवधि के दौरान।
(2) उपधारा (1) के अधीन निरोध से छोड़ा गया व्यक्ति, उक्त उपधारा के उपबंधों के अधीन रहते हुए, पुनः गिरफ्तारी और उस अग्रतर निरोध का दायी होगा जिसका वह दायी होता यदि उसे उपधारा (1) के उपबंधों के अधीन न छोड़ा गया होता।