THE INDIAN PARLIAMENT (Samvidhan to Sansad Bhawan) authored by Devendra Singh Aswal and published by LexisNexis is a treasure house of knowledge about powers, functions and procedures of the Indian Parliament- the axis of the largest democracy of the world

The Indian Parliament, with the subtitle, Samvidhan Sadan to Sansad, Bhawan, authored by Devender Singh (Aswal) and just published by LexisNexis, deals with the great republican heritage of India and the powers, functions and procedures of the Indian Parliament- the axis of the largest democracy of the world. A condensed encyclopaedia of intimately connected and allied scholarly essays, it sets out the historical background of introduction of a separate Rail Budget in 1925 and its eventual merger with the Annual Budget in 2017 and presentation of a single consolidated Budget to Parliament in terms of Article 112 of the Constitution. The book comprises of full fledged chapters on the great republican heritage of India beginning from the Vedic times; the evolution, framing and the working of the Constitution of India; powers and functions of Parliament; duties and privileges and disqualifications of MPs; legislative and budgetary processes; devices of accountability including Questions; Committee system and how it works; legislature-judiciary interface; role of political parties and opposition in a democracy; elections and electoral systems obtaining in the world and their relative merits and demerits; public perception of Parliament; role of C&AG as supreme audit institution of the country; democratic disquiet and the future of democracy and allied aspects of parliamentary democracy not to be found in a single book elsewhere.

The author captures in his lucid, highly readable text, traversing across history, procedure, precedents, methods, and even anecdotal accounts giving the reader an excellent up to date reference manual on what Parliament stands for, and how it functions. One who has had a ring side view of the working of Parliament over three decades and half, the author expresses deep worry over the general fall and decline in parliamentary ethos and suggests radical innovative measures to make Parliament the supreme and quintessential institution of accountability. The sub title-Samvidhan Sadan to Sansad Bhawan underscores the need for making the new Parliament a robust and sacrosanct place of debate and discussion so as to keep unremitting vigil over the executive and make it accountable to the people. So much has been condensed and encapsulated in a single volume with great concision and clarity. It’s an authoritative and much awaited welcome addition to constitutional and parliamentary literature by the author who serviced many Parliaments from the times of Indira Gandhi to Narendra Modi. A compelling and beneficial read for students, academia, civil servants, journalists and legislators- present and future. In the words of Dr Shashi Tharoor, legislators- present and future. In the words of Dr Shashi Tharoor, “ Accessible to the scholar as well as to the to the reader, The Indian Parliament marries Mr Singh’s meticulous understanding of this complex institution with a succinct and exact writing style, leaving very little unsaid without succumbing to verbosity or a daunting excess of pages.” In the words of Prof. Balram Pani, Dean of Colleges, University of Delhi, “The sheer scale of treatment of a wide array of closely conjoined subjects, wealth of information, incisive analysis, and well-merited suggestions, make it a compelling read”.

Devender Singh (Aswal), born in 1957, serviced the Parliament for over three eventful decades and relinquished office in 2017 as Addl Secretary. Soon after, he was called to the Bar. He is a Member of the Supreme Court Bar Association. As a practicing lawyer, his areas of interest include constitutional law, disputes resolution and arbitration and providing free legal aid to the weaker sections. He is a member of the Institute of Constitutional and Parliamentary Studies (ICPS), a faculty member of Parliamentary Research & Training Institute (PRIDE) Lok Sabha, PRS Legislative Research and Centre for Good Governance, among others. He is widely travelled and has presented papers in many national and international parliamentary conferences, workshops and seminars. He has delivered several talks on constitutional and parliamentary themes and contemporary matters of public policy to officers of Union and State Governments, students, teachers, journalists and parliamentary officials and legislators of many countries. Author of many books, he has contributed articles on burning national issues to national dailies and journals of repute.