Rapid Fire
Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC)
- 25 May 2024
- 2 min read
India's main opposition party has called for setting up a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to investigate claims that the Adani Group sold low-grade coal to a state-run company in Tamil Nadu, pretending it was of higher quality.
- The JPC is an ad-hoc Committee, established by the Parliament to conduct a thorough examination of a specific subject or Bill.
- It consists of members from both Houses as well as from the ruling and opposition parties and is chaired by a member of the Lok Sabha (appointed by Speaker of the Lok Sabha).
- The Parliament determines the composition of the JPC, and there is no set limit on the number of members.
- The committee is dissolved after completing its term or task.
- The committee's recommendations are advisory and not mandatory for the government to follow.
- However, suggestions by the Select Committees and JPCs — which have a majority of MPs and heads from the ruling party — are accepted more frequently.
- The JPC has the authority to gather evidence from experts, public bodies, associations, individuals, or interested parties either on its own initiative or in response to their requests.
- Some of the cases in which JPC were formed include:
- Bofors scandal (1987)
- Harshad Mehta Stock market scam (1992)
- Ketan Parekh share market scam (2001)
- National Register of Citizens (NRC, 2016)
- Personal Data Protection Bill (2019)
Read More: Parliament Committees, Select Committee Of Parliament
