Dr.

RAM MANOHAR LOHIYA NATIONAL

LAW UNIVERSITY
2017-18

ADMINISTRATIVE LAW
FINAL DRAFT ON:

TOPIC: PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN LAW MAKING PROCESS

(Submitted for the project work undertaken in the partial fulfillment of B.A. LL.B. (Hons.) 5
years integrated course of Dr. Ram ManoharLohiya NLU, Lucknow.)

Submitted to: Submitted by:

Mr. Rajneesh Yadav Ayush Tiwari

Asst. Prof. Roll no. - 36, Section-A

150101034
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:

I express my gratitude and deep regards to my teacher for the subject Mr. Rajneesh Yadav for
giving me such a challenging topic and also for his exemplary guidance, monitoring and constant
encouragement throughout the course of this thesis.

I also take this opportunity to express a deep sense of gratitude to my seniors in the college for
their cordial support, valuable information and guidance, which helped me in completing this
task through various stages.

I am obliged to the staff members of the Madhu Limaye Library, for the timely and valuable
information provided by them in their respective fields. I am grateful for their cooperation during
the period of my assignment.

Lastly, I thank almighty, my family and friends for their constant encouragement without which
this assignment would not have been possible.

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 CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: ............................................................................................................. 2

INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 4

BACKGROUND: ........................................................................................................................... 4

THE LAW MAKING PROCESS IN INDIA ................................................................................. 5

Pre-legislative Scrutiny – International Examples .......................................................................... 7

Legislative scrutiny: ........................................................................................................................ 9

Post-legislative Scrutiny: .............................................................................................................. 10

IDEA OF DEMOCRATIC POLITY IN MODERN WORLD ..................................................... 10

LETTING THE PUBLIC PARTICIPATE :WHAT MORE CAN BE DONE ............................. 13

CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................. 15

BIBLIOGRAPHY: ........................................................................................................................ 16

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 INTRODUCTION

In a representative democracy, elected representatives make laws on behalf of citizens. Citizens’

ability to participate in the legislative process is fundamental to democracy1. Public participation
with the legislative process results in better laws and fewer amendments. Both transparency and
accessibility of the legislative process are required for effective public participation. Democratic
governments provide for public engagement in lawmaking through consultations. The public
may engage in different stages of the legislative process. In this note we discuss the access
individuals and stakeholders have to the process of law making. Public participation with the
legislative process may take place over three stages; (i) the pre-legislative stage when the
proposed law is in draft form prior to its introduction in Parliament; (ii) the legislative stage
which begins from the time the Bill is introduced and ends once it is passed; and (iii) the post-
legislative stage begins when the Bill is enacted.

Fundamental to any consideration of citizen engagement in policymaking and the design of

public services is the recognition that the citizens in a democracy have both rights and duties,
and that democratic governance provides opportunities for citizens to participate actively in
shaping their world. Such participation is effected in multiple ways and at various levels, from
informal local and community settings, through incorporated entities, NGOs and peak bodies, to
such key institutions as legislatures, the courts and the public service.

BACKGROUND:

Every year, the Indian Parliament and State Legislatures consider and debate a large number of
draft bills, rules and legislative amendments. On average, it is estimated, Parliament passes close
to 60 bills each year2.Of these, a very small number are made available for public debate and
discussion. While some ministries have proactively taken steps to consult with the public - either
by publishing discussion papers or inviting comments on draft legislation – this is entirely
discretionary. In fact there are no laws or statutes in India that compel the central and state

1
First report, Modernisation of the House of Commons Committee, 2006.
2
PRS Legislative Research, Legislative Activity in Parliament, Vital Stats, available at,
http://www.prsindia.org/administrator/uploads/general/1241757164~~Legislative%20activity%20in%20
Parliament.pdf.

4
governments to consult with the public and seek their comments on proposed legislation. Most
often, draft bills are made public only after they have been tabled in Parliament giving civil
society groups, the media and other stake-holders limited opportunities to influence the
legislative process. In recent months, owing in part to the civil society led agitation for the Lok
Pal bill, the demand for greater citizen involvement in law making has gained ground. This brief
looks at the importance of pre-legislative scrutiny in the law making process and suggests ways
in which pre-legislative scrutiny can be strengthened in India.

THE LAW MAKING PROCESS IN INDIA

At present, government departments in India are not obligated to either publish draft bills or
elicit public opinion on specific pieces of legislation. At the central and state government levels,
laws are drafted by the concerned ministries, often in consultation with one or more ministries.
The procedure for the formulation and drafting of legislation is spelled out in the Manual of
Parliamentary Procedures. While the Manual advises departments to formulate legislative
proposals “in consultation with all the interests and authorities concerned essentially from
administrative and financial points of view”, there is no specific reference to consulting the
public or seeking their views at a pre-legislative stage3. Once a draft bill has been formulated by
the concerned ministry it is circulated to other ministries for inputs. The comments received are
incorporated and then the draft bill is sent to the Law Ministry for whetting and finally submitted
to the Cabinet for approval. After receiving Cabinet approval the bill is finally presented in
Parliament (or State Legislature as the case may be)4.

Mechanisms for public engagement with legislative process in India Pre-legislative scrutiny
Legislation may be initiated by stakeholders or from within the government. Some Bills, such as
the Right to Information Bill (now an Act) and the Jan Lok Pal Bill, were drafted by civil society
groups. Public participation regarding draft Bills is not statutorily mandated. The government has
taken steps to increase public engagement. In some cases the government has invited
stakeholders to consultations on proposed Bills. For instance the Department of Information

3
Government of India, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs (2004), Manual of Parliamentary Procedures in the
Government of India, available at http://mpa.nic.in/Manual/Manual_English/Index.htm
4
Ibid, Chapter 9, para 9.2(a).

5
Technology had invited experts for consultations on the draft Electronic Service Delivery Bill,
20115.

In some cases draft bills may be referred for further review to one of 24 Parliamentary Standing
Committees (16 under the LokSabha and 8 under the RajyaSabha). During the review process,
such Committees typically issue advertisements in newspapers seeking comments from the
public. In many instances, stakeholders are invited to give oral and written submissions stating
their views. However, the government is not obligated to accept the recommendations made by
Standing Committees. There are some exceptions. During the drafting of the Right to
Information Act for instance, the Parliamentary Standing Committee reviewing the bill received
a number of submissions from civil society groups seeking improvements in the draft RTI law.
Many of these suggestions were later incorporated into the final text of the RTI Act 2005. While
standing committees do provide an opportunity for citizens to voice their opinions, this form of
consultation has several limitations. First, draft bills are referred to Standing Committees after
their introduction in Parliament. This limits the scope of citizen influence. Moreover, committees
are not obligated to take on board the suggestions and inputs they receive. Second, the
proceedings of Parliamentary Standing Committees are closed and the media are barred from
reporting the details of consultation. Thus, public debate on the bills is limited. Last, there is little
transparency as such committees rarely (if ever) publish details of the comments and suggestions
received by them. The lack of transparency and public consultation in the drafting of legislation
has, in recent times, been a subject of intense criticism. For instance, amidst controversy the
Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill, a noted journalist criticized the government for trying to
push through a “complex legislation with the potential to affect the lives of tens of millions of
people” with “stealth, subterfuge and the barest minimum of consultation”6. Similarly, bills such
as the Prevention of Torture Bill, the Communal Violence Bill and Biotechnology Regulatory
Authority Bill have been critiqued for their poor drafting, weak provisions and their failure to
address the concerns of civil society groups and other stakeholders7. In recognition of this, civil
society has begun to push for greater transparency and public participation in the law making

5
Anirudha Nagar “Laws by the people, for the people”, available at, http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/laws-
by-the-people-for-the-people/article5719578.ece.
6
Siddhartha Vardharajan, “This is No Way to Write A Law”, The Hindu, (24 August, 2010), available at,
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/article592116.ece?homepage=true&css=print.
7
TarunabhKhaitan, “A Bill Designed to Fail”, The Hindu, (19 May,2010), available at,
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/article433182.ece.

6
process particularly at a pre-legislative phase. Internationally, in many countries, pre-legislative
scrutiny is an established process through which citizens are encouraged to give their comments
and feedback on proposed legislation.

PRE-LEGISLATIVE SCRUTINY – INTERNATIONAL EXAMPLES

In many countries, notably the UK, New Zealand, Scotland and Australia, pre-legislative
scrutiny is increasingly becoming an established practice. How does pre-legislative scrutiny
work and how can it make the law making process more open? In the UK, at the beginning of
every Parliamentary session, the government publishes a list of bills that will be the subject of
pre-legislative scrutiny8. Draft bills are published as “Command Papers” and submitted for
scrutiny. The draft bills may be scrutinized by either i) the concerned departmental select
committees, ii) other committees of either House of Parliament, iii) ad-hoc select committees of
either House of Parliament or the iv) joint committees of both Houses9. In considering draft bills,
select committees call upon external experts to give written and oral evidence. To assist
committees in undertaking pre-legislative scrutiny, a special Scrutiny Unit has been established
in the UK Parliament. The Scrutiny Unit “provides specialist expertise to select committees,
especially (but not exclusively) on financial matters and on draft bills.”10 It is worth noting that
the observations of select committees are merely advisory and the government may choose to
accept or reject the proposals that emerge from such a process11.

Scope for Pre-Legislative Scrutiny in India Despite the lack of formal channels for pre-
legislative scrutiny in India, there are number of ways in which the legislative process can be
made more open and participatory. Public consultation on ‘discussion’ and ‘approach’ papers: In
many countries, government departments formulate exploratory ‘green papers’ or discussion
papers that spell out the policy objectives of the government on a specific issue. These papers are
intended to stimulate public debate and discussion. “Green Papers” are usually followed by
“White Papers” which set out the concrete steps necessary to translate ideas into action. In India,
8
While there is no formal requirement for legislation to be published for pre-legislative scrutiny, each year a small
number of bills are subjected to pre-legislative scrutiny.
9
Hansard Society,“Pre-Legislative Scrutiny, Issues in Law Making, Hansard Society Briefing Paper”, (July 2010),
available at, http://www.hansardsociety.org.uk/blogs/downloads/archive/2007/07/28/issues-in-lawmaking-5-pre-
legislative-scrutiny.aspx.
10
Official website of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, Scrutiny Unit, http://www.parliament.uk/mpslords-and-
offices/offices/commons/scrutinyunit/.
11
Ibid, pp.4.

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a growing number of ministries have begun to formulate discussion papers that seek public input
on specific policy issues. For example, in October 2010, the Department of Personnel and
Training released a discussion paper on a data protection and privacy law in India for public
comment. The discussion paper was drafted following a series of meetings between government
officials, civil society organizations and other stakeholders12. More recently, the Planning
Commission has sought inputs from the public in drafting the Approach Paper to the Twelfth
Five Year Plan13.The Approach Paper spells out the major priorities and targets for the
government, key challenges in achieving them and the broad policy approach of the government.
Another good example of a ministry taking the lead in consulting with the public is the
Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion. Over the last year, the department has released a
series of discussion papers on its website seeking views and suggestions on whether foreign
direct investment should be allowed into professional service firms. Through these papers the
department “hopes to generate informed discussion on the subject, so as to enable the
Government to take an appropriate policy decision at an appropriate time14.” In what is clearly
best practice, the Department has also taken the proactive step of publishing scanned copies of
submissions received from the public on its website. Publishing Draft Legislation: In some cases,
ministries have also begun to publish draft bills and amendments to rules and regulations before
these are tabled in Parliament. This enables citizens to send in their comments at an early stage in
the legislative process and by association allows the government to take on broaddifferent views
and perspective. A fine example of this has been the extensive consultation around the draft
Direct Taxes Code. In 2009, the Ministry of Finance launched a public consultation on the draft
Direct Tax Code (scheduled to replace the Income Tax Act). As part of the consultation process,
the Ministry released a draft of the bill and a discussion paper for public comment. On the basis
of submissions received the Ministry then released a revised discussion paper15. The RTI Act
2005 is another example where the government has taken the proactive step of seeking public
inputs on proposed legislation. In December 2010, the Department of Personnel and Training
announced its proposal to amend the rules governing the RTI Act 2005. The department

12
Government of India, Department of Personnel and Training, “Approach Paper for a Legislation on Privacy”,
available at, http://persmin.gov.in/WriteReadData/RTI/aproach_paper.pdf, accessed on 19 January 2011.
13
Id.At 12.
14
Government of India, Ministry of Finance, “Revised Discussion Paper on the Direct Taxes Code”, available at,
http://www.incometaxindia.gov.in/archive/BreakingNews_RevisedDiscussionPaper_06152010.pdf.
15
Id.At 14.

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published the proposed amendments on its website and invited the public to send in comments
by a specific date16. Operationalising Section 4 of the RTI Act: The Right to Information Act
2005 in addition to placing a legal obligation on the government to provide information, for the
first time places an obligation on government departments to proactively publish information
when formulating policies. Specifically, Section 4(1) (c) of the RTI Act requires every public
authority to “publish all relevant facts while formulating important policies or announcing the
decisions which affect public”17. In this way the Act for the first time places a legal obligation on
departments to publish draft policies. This has been confirmed by the Central Information
Commission which recently ruled that “Section 4(1) (c) of the RTI Act requires proactive
disclosure of proposed laws/policies and amendments thereto or to existing/laws/policies to
enable citizens to debate in an informed manner and provide useful feedback to the government,
which may be taken into account before finalizing such laws/policies. The CIC’s decision
follows from a complaint filed by Venkatesh Nayak against the non-disclosure of the draft Delhi
Police (Amendment) Bill, 2010 by the Delhi Government. In another decision relating to the
nondisclosure of the draft text of the Whistleblower’s Bill, the CIC has recommended that the
Cabinet Secretariat amend its administrative rules to allow for greater public consultation on
draft legislation18. The CIC’s progressive interpretation of Section 4 sets an important precedent
and if implemented sincerely by departments, may go a long way in bringing crucial aspects of
government functioning under public scrutiny19.

LEGISLATIVE SCRUTINY:

Public participation during legislative scrutiny may be conducted through Parliamentary

Committees. Prior to1993, Bills were occasionally referred to ad-hoc Joint or Select
Parliamentary Committees. Since then Department Related Standing Committees (DRSC) have
been established to scrutinise Bills. There are 24 DRSCs that cover all ministries of the central

16
Government of India, Ministry of Personnel Public Grievances and Pensions, Department of Personnel and
Training, “Amendment to RTI Rules”, available at, http://persmin.gov.in/WriteReadData/RTI/RTI_rules_01122010-
1.pdf.
17
Right to Information Act 2005, No. 22 of 2005, available at, http://righttoinformation.gov.in/rti-act.pdf.
18
V. Venkatesan “Open to Scrutiny”, The Frontline, Volume 27 - Issue 21, (Oct. 09-22, 2010), available at,
http://www.frontline.in/fl2721/stories/20101022272108200.htm.
19
available at, http://www.accountabilityindia.in/sites/default/files/right-know/rti_brief_no._4_-_pre_-
_legislative_scrutiny_draft_final.pdf.

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government. Once a Bill is introduced in Parliament, it may be referred to a DRSC. Committees
publish notices seeking suggestions within a specified timeframe. In most cases, a period of 15
days is provided to send comments. The level of public engagement with standing committees
varies with different Bills.

POST-LEGISLATIVE SCRUTINY:

Scrutiny of current laws is not mandatory in India. However, mechanisms exist for undertaking
review of laws. Various Commissions, such as the Law Commission, conduct review of
legislation. Since its establishment in 1956, the Law Commission has submitted 236 reports. The
Commission identifies laws that require amendments or repeal. In preparing its review of laws
the Commission circulates its draft analysis amongst the public and invites comments. It also
organizes seminars and workshops in different parts of the country to elicit opinion on proposed
strategies.

Some recommendations for increasing public participation in the legislative process were made
by the National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution in its Report in
2002. The Commission suggested that draft Bills should be subjected to thorough and rigorous
examination by experts and laymen alike. The proposed legislations should be circulated for
public discussion among professional bodies, business organisations, trade unions, academics
and other interested persons. It also recommended that all Bills should be referred to DRSCs for
consideration and scrutiny after public opinion has been sought over the Bill. It was of the
opinion that DRSCs may schedule public hearings, if necessary20.

IDEA OF DEMOCRATIC POLITY IN MODERN WORLD

Democracies are socially and culturally distinctive, developing traditions, conventions and
structures that reflect the values and habits of their citizens. In an Australian context, the political
scientist Graham Maddox has expressed the ‘idea of the democratic polity suited to the realities
of the modern world’ in the following terms:

20
Available at, http://www.aalep.eu/indian-parliament-and-public-participation.

10
  First, democracy should rest on a constitutional order, by which the power of
any particular government of the day is limited to appropriate spheres of
action.

 Second, it should have a ‘responsible’ executive which, though limited to

appropriate spheres of action and to a definite term of office, is nevertheless
sufficiently strong to fulfill all the functions of government and to help adjust
the social order to the needs of the time.

 Third, the executive government should be counterbalanced by a

constitutional opposition, to probe, question and help the community control
the power of government.

 Fourth, all its political institutions, such as the legislature, the government
and bureaucracy, the courts and all the statutory bodies of the ‘public sector’,
should conduct their procedures according to the traditional ideals of
democracy—in particular, justice, liberty, equality and community.

 And fifth, the whole political structure should rest on a pluralistic,

participatory society, which maintains a vigorous group life.

These five features together cover the main themes of modern democratic literature. For us
to judge a community as ‘democratic’, we suggest here that all five features must be found
together, as a kind of ‘syndrome’ to apply to any political system21.

Within the broad scope of such a democracy, public policy constantly evolves to manage social,
economic and environmental affairs, to respond to the needs, preferences and desires of citizens,
and to steer or nudge them in directions that are regarded as conducive to the nation’s general
wellbeing. It is a complex and fluid endeavor.

We shape our world through public policy. This public policy is made not only by
politicians, but by thousands of public servants and the tens of thousands of women
and men who petition parliaments and ministers, who join interest groups, comment

21
G Maddox, “Australian democracy in theory and practice”, fifth edn, Pearson Longman, 2005, p. 43.

11
 through the media or represent unions, corporations and community movements. All
have a stake in public policy. The entire community is affected by public policy22.

The theory and practice of public administration is increasingly concerned with placing the
citizen at the centre of policymakers’ considerations, not just as target, but also as agent. To that
end, public servants are being exhorted to collaborate, not merely consult; to reach out, not
merely respond. This means engaging with people, who are increasingly well-educated, attuned
to their rights as citizens and voters, who have ready access to information and broad exposure to
the voices of opinion-leaders, experts and advocates.

Governments, in their turn, are recognising that they need more direct participation by citizens in
order to govern well—to ensure stability, to facilitate people’s wellbeing and to manage
environmental, health, security and energy issues into the future. Governments realise that they
must harness the ideas, knowledge, wisdom and skills of the non-government sector—business,
academia, the professions, and voluntary organisations. Failure to engage will waste resources
and curtail opportunities.

In 2002, the Parliamentary Library published a Research Paper entitled Shaping Relations
between Government and Citizens: Future Directions in Public Administration23. It reported,
among other things, ten initiatives ‘designed to facilitate the participation of citizens in the
policy-making process’24.

Given the failure of many government legislations in achieving the objectives for which they
were formulated, a case for institutionalizing deeper public consultations in the legislative
process has been made in the recent past. Currently, there are four entry points where citizens
can participate in the legislative process: first, the identifying stage; second, the drafting stage;
third, the legislative stage; and fourth, the post-legislative stage.

22
P Bridgman and G David, The Australian Policy Handbook, third edn, Allen&Unwin, 2004, p. 1.
23
R Verspaandonk, “Shaping Relations between Government and Citizens: Future Directions in Public
Administration”, Research paper, No.5, 2001–02, Parliamentary Library, Canberra, 2002, viewed 29 November
2010, available at, http://www.aph.gov.au/binaries/library/pubs/rp/2001-02/02rp05.pdf.
24
Available at,
http://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/rp1112/12rp0
1#_Toc299099866.

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 LETTING THE PUBLIC PARTICIPATE :WHAT MORE CAN BE DONE

Civil society organisations can alert the government to the need for a particular legislation or
changes in an existing law. The MazdoorKisan Shakti Sangathan, a farmers and workers group,
ran a successful campaign for a Right to Information law, which was finally enacted in 2005.
The recent anti-corruption agitation led to the introduction of a Lokpal Bill currently pending in
the RajyaSabha. The long-running Right to Food campaign by a network of NGOs has been
instrumental in raising awareness about chronic hunger and the eventual introduction of the
National Food Security Bill in 2011.
The government can also suomoto decide that a law is required in a particular sector. It may get
inputs from specialised bodies such as the National Human Rights Commission and the Law
Commission or appoint a group to study a sector and draft a law. These groups or bodies may
hold consultations with independent experts and stakeholders. Furthermore, an individual
Member of Parliament (MP) can also introduce a Bill in either House. This is known as a Private
Member’s Bill (for example, LokSabha MP, Kalikesh Singh Deo introduced the Disclosure of
Lobbying Activities Bill in 2013 to regulate lobbying activities). Although these are generally
never passed, they act as signalling devices to the government, which may introduce its own
legislation on the subject. It is possible for the public to approach their constituency
representatives to advocate for a particular law.
Government Bills are drafted by the concerned ministry, which is then vetted by other ministries.
There are also times when the government approaches an independent expert to draft a law.
Recently, it appointed the Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Commission, under the
chairmanship of Justice B.N. Srikrishna to reform the financial sector laws.

The government may publish the draft legislation in the public domain for feedback. Drafts of
the Electronic Service Delivery Bill, the National Sports Bill and the Land Acquisition and
Resettlement Bill were published for a specified time period (generally 20-30 days). It may also
circulate the draft among a select set of stakeholders for comments. An individual MP may
solicit public feedback on his Private Member Legislation. For example, BijuJanata Dal, MP
Baijayant Panda uses his personal website and social media tools such as Facebook to publicise
the draft of his private member bills.

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There are few avenues of public engagement once the Bill is introduced in the Parliament. Since
1993, 24 Department-related Standing Committees (DRSCs) were formed to scrutinise Bills and
other policies of the Government (before 1993 Bills were sometimes referred to ad-hoc
committees for scrutiny). Generally most Bills are referred to these DRSCs; however, the
presiding officer of the House has the discretion not to do so. For instance, key Bills such as the
Special Economic Zones Bill, 2005 and the National Investigation Agency Bill, 2008 were not
referred to a DRSC. In contrast, the Lokpal Bill passed by the LokSabha was sent to a Select
Committee by the RajyaSabha although it had been examined by the DRSC.

These DRSCs may solicit feedback from the public by issuing notices in key newspapers and the
Gazette of India. The public comments are also tabled in the form of a report. However, the level
of public engagement varies with different Bills. For instance, the DRSC scrutinising the
Companies Bill, 2009 received 101 comments while only 10 submissions were received for the
Armed Forces Tribunal (Amendment) Bill, 2012.

The government is not bound to accept the recommendations of the DRSC but individual MPs
may introduce amendments to the Bill when it is being considered by the House. The MP may
suggest amendments based on the DRSC’s suggestions or any public feedback.

Once Bills are enacted, ministries draft and notify Rules (also known as subordinate legislation)
to enable their implementation. These Rules may be scrutinised by the Subordinate Legislation
Committee, which is empowered to seek public feedback.

Post legislative scrutiny of laws is not mandatory in India. It may however be undertaken by
bodies such as the Law Commission of India, the DRSCs or a specific commission appointed for
the purpose who may hold public consultations. Recently, rape laws were reviewed by the
Justice Verma Committee before an Ordinance was promulgated on the matter.

14
 CONCLUSION

To conclude, there is clearly a growing demand for greater transparency in the formulation and
drafting of laws. In response, a number of Ministries are now proactively taking steps to engage
with the public and seek comments and inputs on draft laws. While there is no formal
requirement for pre-legislative scrutiny within the legislative process, there are ways in which
the law making process can be made more participatory and open. Exploratory “green” or
“discussion papers” enable government departments to frame key policy issues and concerns and
put these out for public debate and comment. Proactive disclosure of draft bills on government
websites for public comment is another way in which the public can be informed about the
government’s proposals. Finally, the RTI Act provides a legal framework for the disclosure of
information related to government policies and programs. Specifically, Section 4(1) (c) of the
RTI Act requires government departments to proactively publish all facts when formulating
policies or announcing decisions”.

15
 BIBLIOGRAPHY:

 http://www.aalep.eu/indian-parliament-and-public-participation
 http://www.prsindia.org/administrator/uploads/general/1370586595_Public%20Engagem
ent%20with%20the%20Legislative%20Process.pdf
 https://polityinindia.wordpress.com/2013/08/05/letthepublicparticipate/
 http://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Li
brary/pubs/rp/rp1112/12rp01
 http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/laws-by-the-people-for-the-
people/article5719578.ece
 http://www.accountabilityindia.in/sites/default/files/right-know/rti_brief_no._4_-_pre_-
_legislative_scrutiny_draft_final.pdf

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