No privilege is breached even if courts consider parliamentary committee report: SC bench

While considering a petition related to cervical cancer vaccination, the top court of the country has today observed that no privilege is breached even if courts consider parliamentary standing committee reports as evidences.

The court has supported the petitioner in the cervical cancer vaccination case against some pharmaceutical companies when the latter has used the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare related to the issue of Human Papilloma Virus vaccine.

The court has reminded the pharmaceutical companies, who have raised objection against the petitioner’s effort to use the parliamentary committee report as evidence citing that such an effort would breach the privilege of the law making body, that the move to use the aforesaid report as evidence does not breach the privilege assured by the constitution and the concept of the separation of power mentioned in the law book so it is not necessary that a person who attempts to use a parliamentary committee report as evidence in courts should seek permission from the speaker of the Lower House before doing so.

The court has also added that a published parliamentary committee report is normally considered as a public document so everyone is free to access it.

Vignesh. S. G

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