The sentencing of two editors to one-year jail terms in the southern Indian state of Karnataka for alleged breach of legislative privilege draws into focus the role of the press in reporting the activities of lawmakers. This is an unexceptional provision because many Commonwealth countries have used the privileges of the Commons as a template. Sixty-seven years later, the privileges remain undefined and therefore both ambiguous and open to subjective interpretation. Privileges of legislators are meant to insulate them from criticism and action for what they say and do inside the legislature. The privileges of the House of Commons were first claimed when it was struggling to establish a distinct role for itself within Parliament.

Source: The China Post July 21, 2017 21:00 UTC