Collective Responsibility - Definition - Law Dictionary Home Dictionary Definition collective-responsibility

Definition :

Collective responsibility, the concept of collective responsibility is essentially a political concept. The country is governed by the party in power on the basis of the policies adopted and laid down by it in the Cabinet meeting. 'Collective responsibility' has two meanings: the first meaning which can legitimately be ascribed to it is that all members of a government are unanimous in support of its policies and would exhibit that unanimity on public occasions although while formulating the polices, they might have expressed a different view in the meeting of the Cabinet. The other meaning is that Ministers, who had an opportunity to speak for or against the polices in the Cabinet are thereby personally and morally responsible for its success and failure, Common Cause, A Registered Society v. Union of India, (1999) 6 SCC 667 (698): AIR 1999 SC 2977. [Constitution of India, Arts. 75(3), 226 and 32]

Is the responsibility of a number of individuals acting together, responsibility of a Cabinet to Parliament, for the policy of the administration, Commentary on the Constitution of India, Durga Das Basu, Vol. E, 6th Edn., p. 391.

In England collective responsibility is a rule of convention; an essential aspect of it is that every minister must vote for a decision taken by the Cabinet and maintain strict secrecy, Commentary on the Constitution of India, Durga Das Basu, Vol. E, 6th Edn., p. 395.

Means that the ministers must, as a body, lose their office if they cannot retain the confidence of the Popular House of the Legislature, Commentary on the Constitution of India, Durga Das Basu, Vol. E, 6th Edn., p. 395.

The essence of collective responsibility is that when a decision is taken by the cabinet, every minister has to stared by it without any reservation; it is ensured by the enforcement of principles, namely that no person is nominated to the Council of Ministers except on the advice of the Prime Minister and no person is retained as a member of the Council if the Prime Minister demands his dismissal, Practice and Procedure of Parliament, M.N. Kaul and S.L. Shakdher, 5th Edn., 2001, p. 428.