Parliament inauguration row reaches Supreme Court, PIL seeks opening by President, not PM Modi

• A PIL has filed in the SC on Thursday demanding a direction to the Lok Sabha Secretariat that the inauguration of the new Parliament on May 28 be done by the President of India, instead of PM Narendra Modi

• The decision not to include President Droupadi Murma in the inauguration drew sharp criticism from opposition parties as most of them unitedly announced a boycott of the event

• They argued that under the Constitution, the President of India should inaugurate the new Parliament

A Public Interest Litigation has filed in the Supreme Court on Thursday demanding a direction to the Lok Sabha Secretariat that the inauguration of the new Parliament on May 28 be done by the President of India, instead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The petition, filed by advocate CR Jaya Sukin, says that on May 18, the Lok Sabha Secretariat issued invites mentioning that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the new Parliament building and that there is an omission of the name of President of India from the proceedings.

“Parliament is the supreme legislative body of India. The Parliament of India consists of the President of India and two houses – the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. The President has the power to convene and prorogue either House or dissolve the Lok Sabha,” the petition reads.

It also states that all executive and legislative decisions taken by the Government of India are taken in the name of the President and he is the first citizen of the country. "The President of India is, in this respect, the first Indian citizen and the head of the institution of Parliament and therefore the competent authority to open the new Parliament building," it said.

The decision not to include President Droupadi Murma in the inauguration drew sharp criticism from opposition parties as most of them unitedly announced a boycott of the event. They argued that under the Constitution, the President of India should inaugurate the new Parliament.