The Supreme Court has said it will hear on February 17 a petition to evolve a mechanism for citizens to directly move Parliament and seek initiation of deliberations on issues highlighted by them.
A Bench of Justices K.M. Joseph and B.V. Nagarathna asked petitioner Karan Garg to serve a copy of his plea on the lawyer for the Union government.
The plea has sought a declaration that it is the fundamental right of citizens under Articles 14, 19(1)(a) and 21 of the Constitution to directly petition Parliament to seek initiation of a debate, discussion and deliberation on the issues highlighted by them in their petitions.
The petitioner said as an ordinary citizen of the country, he felt "disempowered" when it came to participation in the democratic process as after people cast their votes to elect representatives, there was no scope for any further participation.
"The absence of this mechanism creates a void between elected representatives and the citizens. The people are disconnected from the law-making process. This distancing of the citizens to their inherent rights to fully participate in Indian democracy is a matter of grave concern and is an issue which needs to be immediately addressed," the plea said.
It said a system by which the citizens can directly petition Parliament is already in place in the United Kingdom and it has been working well for several years.
