83rd All-India Presiding Officers’ Conference (AIPOC) was inaugurated and addressed by the Vice President of India who is ex=officio Chairman of Upper House of Parliament in Jaipur on 11th January, 2023.
The session was marked by the presiding officers of both Houses of Parliament making strong observation on judicial overstepping in legislative matters. Further, Presiding Officers of Legislative bodies of all States in India passed a resolution asserting ‘supremacy’ in law making.
In the constituent assembly, the nationalist leaders of yesteryears had held people of India to be sovereign. The primacy of the people of India is reflected through parliamentary supremacy. The Judiciary is entrusted with interpretation of law. However, over the years, judiciary has assumed many powers of parliament through case laws. Two key areas of tussle are power of parliament of India to amend the constitution and judicial appointments. The concepts of basic feature of constitution and collegium system of judicial appointments are judiciary’s inventions (not found in Constitution of India).
The All India Presiding Officers’ Conference (AIPOC) is the apex body of the Legislatures in India.
The 83rd session focussed on the themes of contemporary relevance such as leadership of India in G-20 as the mother of democracy, the need to maintain a harmonious relationship between the Legislature and the Judiciary in accordance with the spirit of the Constitution, the need to make Parliament and Legislature more effective, Integration of State Legislatures with Digital Parliament.
Speaker Lok Sabha, Chief Minister Rajasthan, Deputy Chairman Rajya Sabha and presiding officers of legislative bodies from across the states attended the Conference.
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