UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Protecting the freedom of speech of MPs

Q1. When the Leader of the Opposition objected in February 2026 to the expunction of portions of his Motion of Thanks speech, he claimed that the freedom of speech of Members of Parliament had been violated. Under which constitutional provision is this freedom of speech of MPs primarily guaranteed?

  • A. Article 19(1)(a)
  • B. Article 105(1)
  • C. Article 105(2)
  • D. Article 194(1)

Q2. The presiding authority who exercises the power to expunge proceedings and who declined the restoration of the expunged remarks in the 2026 Budget Session is the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. This office is held ex officio by which one of the following?

  • A. The President of India
  • B. The Vice-President of India
  • C. The Speaker of the Lok Sabha
  • D. The Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha

Q3. In the context of parliamentary proceedings, the 'expunction' of a Member's remarks most precisely means that the remarks are:

  • A. Permanently struck from the official record so that they cease to form part of the proceedings and cannot be quoted from the record
  • B. Referred to the Privileges Committee for a decision on whether a breach of privilege has occurred
  • C. Retained in the record but marked with a formal disapproval of the Chair
  • D. Temporarily suspended from the record until the Member tenders an apology to the House

Q4. The verbatim record of Rajya Sabha proceedings — from which expunged portions are removed before the text is finalised and uploaded — is prepared and maintained by which one of the following?

  • A. The Rajya Sabha Secretariat
  • B. The Lok Sabha Secretariat
  • C. The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs
  • D. The Legislative Department of the Ministry of Law and Justice