THE HOUSE OF THE PEOPLE (Lower House) of the Indian Parliament made history on August 29, i96i, by reprimanding a journalist at the Bar of the House and that context functioning as the High Court of Parliament for the first time. It was a unique event and has set motion a controversy which still continues unabated. person to whom the reprimand was administered was the editor of Blitz, a Bombay leftist journal. His offense was the publication of an article the journal entitled The Kripaloony Impeachment which, according to the Privileges Committee of the House and the Speaker, in its tenor and contents libelled an honourable member of this House (J. B. Kripalani) and cast reflections on him on account of his speech and conduct the House and referred to him a contemptuous and insulting manner. It may be mentioned here that by publishing the article Blitz was trying to vindicate the Defence Minister, V. K. Krishna Menon, who was the target of an attack by Kripalani one of the debates Parliament. While administering the reprimand, the Speaker added: As editor, you had a high responsibility to exercise utmost caution and discretion commenting on the speech and conduct of an honourable member of Parliament his capacity as such member. Yet you published words calculated to bring him into odium, contempt and ridicule. This offence of yours was further aggravated by the type of explanation you chose to submit to the Committee of Privileges. In the name of the House, I accordingly reprimand you for committing a gross breach of privilege and contempt of the House. What was the privilege involved? Does the House have such privilege? If so, does it have the power to punish? Further, has its action violated the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression guaranteed to the citizens under Article ig(i) (a) of the Constitution of India?' Also, can Parliament, without defining its powers and privileges and without disclosing to the citizen what these powers and privileges are, assume to itself a power to nullify a fundamental right? These are questions which deserve careful consideration as they affect the very foundations on which is built the structure of democratic government India.