The Supreme Court bench, led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud alongside Justices Manoj Misra and JB Pardiwala, has dismissed a petition that sought directives for the Centre to digitally monitor Members of Parliament (MPs) and Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) to enhance governance. Emphasizing the right to privacy, the bench stated, “There is something called the right to privacy,” adding, “This is only applicable to convicted felons who may evade justice… If you persist, we will impose a penalty of Rs. 5 lakhs, to be collected as land revenue. This is a matter of public concern and not about our personal pride.” The Supreme Court further clarified that the petition’s requests, such as digitally monitoring MPs and allowing policy decisions by majority votes, cannot be entertained. The petitioner was cautioned that costs would be imposed if similar pleas were made in the future.
During the proceedings, the petitioner’s counsel argued that elected MPs often behave like rulers despite being public servants under the Representation of People Act. However, Chief Justice Chandrachud disapproved of the broad accusation, stating, “You cannot generalize against all MPs. How can individual citizens make laws in a democracy? All laws are enacted by Parliament with the participation of elected MPs. We cannot take the law into our own hands as individual citizens. Otherwise, people might argue that we don’t need judges, and decide to take justice into their own hands.” After considering the arguments, the Supreme Court dismissed the petition.
