SHILLONG, FEB 18: Thomas A. Sangma, Speaker of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly, has prohibited members from recording and circulating selfie videos during House proceedings after a clip posted online by opposition Voice of the People Party (VPP) leader Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit sparked controversy.
The Nongkrem legislator shared a video on social media captioned “first day of the budget session,” drawing attention online and prompting the Chair to reiterate Assembly decorum rules.
Breach of parliamentary decorum
Addressing the House on Wednesday, the Speaker stated:
“A member has taken a selfie video of himself while participating in the proceedings inside the House yesterday. It was circulated on social media.”
He termed the act a violation of parliamentary practice and decorum, adding that it was inconsistent with the spirit of Rule 275 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business.
Speaker invokes rules to prohibit recordings
Invoking Rule 315 while issuing the ruling, the Speaker declared:
Members are prohibited from recording videos of themselves while speaking inside the House and circulating them on social media.
He emphasized that such conduct undermines legislative decorum and the established rules governing Assembly proceedings.
Trigger for ruling
The directive follows the circulation of the selfie video posted by the opposition leader, which quickly gained traction online and prompted the Chair to reaffirm standards of conduct within the Assembly.
The ruling reinforces longstanding parliamentary norms that restrict unauthorized recording inside legislative chambers.