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.

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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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Today (December 1, Monday) on the very first day of the winter session of Parliament, Congress MP Renuka Chaudhary got embroiled in a unique controversy. Actually, she reached Parliament with her pet dog in her car. As soon as this video of his surfaced, there was a stir in political circles and BJP termed it as playing with the dignity of Parliament and demanded action against him.

When the media questioned Renuka Choudhary on the incident, she retorted and said that the matter was being blown out of proportion unnecessarily. He said, “What is the problem in this? If a dumb animal comes inside, what is the big problem? It is small, it is not going to bite. There are other people inside the Parliament who are going to bite.” The controversy deepened as soon as his statement came to light.

#ParliamentWinterSession Delhi: On the controversy over bringing a dog to Parliament, Congress MP Renuka Chowdhary said, “Is there any law? I was on my way. A scooter collided with a car. This little puppy was wandering on the road. I thought it would get hit. So I picked it… pic.twitter.com/fNPkCMfOyX

— ANI (@ANI) December 1, 2025

Renuka Chaudhary responded to PM Modi’s statement

Renuka Chaudhary also responded to the comments made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the opposition. He asked that if the government was so worried about the session, then why was the scheduled session of one month reduced to just fifteen days? He said, “Why are you worried about what issues we will raise in the House? Were the issues less? Then why was the session shortened?”

BJP MP Jagdambika Pal made allegations

BJP MP Jagdambika Pal accused Renuka Chaudhary of misuse of privileges and said that Parliament is a forum for serious discussion on the country’s policies, where such actions are against ‘extra-public conduct’ and the reputation of Parliament. He said, “Reaching Parliament with his dog and then making such comments brings shame to the country. Action should be taken against him.” He called it an insult to democracy and demanded a tough stance.

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