By Admin 
Smoking in Parliament: On December 11, BJP MP Anurag Thakur filed a written complaint against the Trinamool Congress MP to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla without naming him. In this complaint, it has been alleged that the MP was seen smoking e-cigarette inside the Parliament complex. Now because e-cigarettes are banned in India, this matter has taken a serious legal and parliamentary turn. Meanwhile, the question arises whether any MP can lose his membership for smoking e-cigarette inside the Parliament premises? Let us know.
Smoking e-cigarette is a criminal offense in India
E-cigarettes are completely banned in India under the Electronic Cigarettes Regulation Act, 2019. E-cigarettes are also known as vapes or electronic nicotine delivery systems. These devices produce vapor by heating liquid chemicals containing nicotine and flavoring agents. Users inhale this steam.
Using e-cigarette is a punishable offense under this law. If someone violates this law for the first time, he can be fined up to ₹ 1 lakh or jail for 1 year or both. If this crime is repeated then the punishment becomes much more severe. In which fine can be up to ₹ 5 lakh and jail up to 3 years. Let us tell you that possessing, selling, making and storing e-cigarettes is also a criminal offense. Along with this, smoking regular cigarettes in public places is also prohibited under the anti-smoking law.
Does this law also apply inside Parliament?
Indian law applies inside the Parliament as it does anywhere else in the country. Parliament is not free from criminal law. Even if any work done inside the Parliament violates any central law, it will still be considered a legal offence. Now because smoking e-cigarettes is banned in the entire country, doing so inside Parliament is also a violation of legal rules.
Can I subscribe for this?
Although the allegation is serious, the possibility of losing parliamentary membership in this case is very less. Under Indian law, an MP is disqualified only if he is convicted in a criminal case and sentenced to 2 years or more. In this case, there is a maximum punishment of one year for a first offense which does not meet the disqualification threshold. If the allegations are proved, then in this case the Speaker can issue a strict warning or reprimand, impose a fine or even suspend the MP from Parliament for some time.
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