Legislators file 55 protocol violation complaints in over four years

Legislators from Uttar Pradesh filed nearly 55 complaints for violation of protocol, which includes provisions to accord due respect and courtesy to them, between January 1 2020 and October 31 this year. More than half of these complaints have been filed in 2024.

Some of these complaints were about indecent phone conversations, not attending their phone calls or not calling them back, not showing them due respect and indecent behaviour with public representatives.

Others were about not inviting legislators to public programmes, inviting a former legislator as chief guest instead of a sitting MLA, not including the name of legislators in plaque at a government project and not including a legislator’s name in a government advertisement. There were often complaints about registration of fake cases or political vendetta or misbehaviour with a legislator.

As legislators continue to raise their concerns or file their complaints about such issues at various levels, the state government has given directives time and again asking officers to accord due protocol to all lawmakers. It recently quoted the subsidiary warrant of precedence to reiterate the point that public representatives are ranked above officers and so should be given due respect and a place to sit in official meetings.

It has also asked officers on several occasions to take phone calls from legislators or call them back. A recent order issued by the state government asked officers to ensure that legislators were given chairs of the same height at public meetings.

Those aware of the development said the state government issued these orders when some legislators raised the issue of improper seating before speaker Satish Mahana at a meeting presided over by him.

It has been pointed out that the legislators raise issues about violation of protocol by the officers before Mahana almost regularly. The speaker has often taken up the issue at appropriate levels and the state government has issued necessary directives to the officers in this regard.

“People hold public representatives responsible for any problem/issue in their constituencies. So, legislators raise these issues with officers to get a resolution to the complaints. Officers should show due respect and courtesy to public representatives and resolve the issues raised by them,” Mahana said in a phone conversation.

Minister for finance and parliamentary affairs Suresh Khanna said the state government has asked its officers to follow protocol norms and get the issues raised by the legislators resolved. “The state government has issued necessary directives to officers telling them to adhere to the protocol norms. This is, however, the first time that a government order has been issued about ensuring that legislators are given chairs of the same height [and covered with a white towel] as are occupied by officers. We have also issued GOs asking officers to show due respect to legislators, accord protocol to them and respond to their phone calls. We will take strict action against officers who violate these directives,” said Khanna.

“Public representatives are not being given due respect. Some of them are being humiliated. Those with complaints about the violation of protocol or indecent behaviour by officers include BJP legislators. This is because of centralisation of power in the hands of a few persons,” said Samajwadi Party spokesman and MLC Rajendra Chaudhary.