Law must be preceded by scrutiny, discussion: Mukherjee

New Delhi July 23 (IANS) Outgoing President Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday stressed that a legislation must be preceded by "scrutiny and adequate discussion".

Mukherjee who is set to demit office on July 25 in his farewell speech to lawmakers termed it "unfortunate" that parliament s time devoted to legislation has been declining.

"With heightened complexity of administration legislation must be preceded by scrutiny and adequate discussion. Scrutiny in committees is no substitute to open discussion on the floor of the House " Mukherjee said while addressing parliamentarians in the Central Hall of Parliament.

He said that when Parliament fails to discharge its law making role or enacts laws without discussion it "breaches the trust reposed in it by the people".

--IANS
ps-mak/vd