Parliamentary Sessions

Parliamentary Sessions, integral to any democratic political structure, refer to periods when Houses of Parliament convene to transact their business. These sessions are vital for law-making, discussion, and scrutiny of the executive’s work. The types of sessions, procedures to summon a session, the concept of Quorum, and the unique provision of a Joint Session of Parliament constitute the structure of these sessions. In this article, you will learn about sessions of parliament, their types, summoning procedures, termination of parliament etc, all of which are important for GS Paper-2 Polity & Governance of UPSC IAS Exam.

Table of Content

• What are Parliamentary sessions?
• Types of Parliamentary sessions
• Procedure followed to summon parliamentary session
• Termination of Parliament
• Difference between Adjournment and Prorogation
• Quorum
• Joint Session of Parliament

What are Parliamentary sessions?

• A parliamentary ‘session’ refers to the period that starts with a House’s first sitting and ends with its prorogation (or dissolution for the Lok Sabha).
• The House convenes every day during a session to transact its business.
• The term ‘recess’ refers to the interval between a House’s prorogation and the commencement of a new session.
• As per the Article 85 of the Constitution, the President shall from time to time summon each House of Parliament to meet at such time and place as he thinks fit.
• The Central legislature has to meet at least twice a year. In other words, the interval between two sessions of parliament must not exceed
• On a daily basis, there are two distinct assembly periods: one from 11 am to 1 pm in the morning, and another following lunch, from 2 pm to 6 pm.

Alt text: Parliamentary sessions

Types of Parliamentary sessions

• India does not have a fixed parliamentary calendar.
• By convention, Parliament meets for three sessions in a year.

Budget session of parliament

• It is the longest and considered as most important session.
• It starts towards the end of January and concludes by the end of April or first week of May.
• During this assembly, participants deliberate on budgetary provisions and tax-related issues, following the presentation of the budget by the finance minister.  
• The financial term assembly is usually divided into two phases, separated by a one-month interval.
• Each year, this session commences with the President’s address to both legislative houses.

Monsoon session of parliament

• Generally, it is conducted after a gap of two months after the budget session.
• It usually begins in July and finishes in August. 
• Generally, matters of public interest are discussed.

Winter session of parliament

• It is the shortest of all sessions.
• It is held from November to December.
• It addresses issues that were previously unaddressed and compensates for the lack of legislative activity during the Parliament’s second session.

Procedure followed to summon parliamentary session:

• The real power to convene a session of Parliament rests with the government.
• The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs takes the decision regarding summoning of the session. It comprises 9 ministers, including Defence, Home, Finance, and Law.
• The decision of the Committee is formalised by the President and then in the name of the President, MPs are summoned to meet for a session.

Termination of Parliament

A sitting of Parliament can be terminated by:

Adjournment:

• It suspends the work in a sitting for a specified time, which may be hours, days or weeks.

Adjournment Sine Die:

• The indefinite postponement of a parliamentary session is known as adjournment sine die. In this, house is adjourned without designating a specific date for reassembly.
• The authority to adjourn and adjourn sine die rests with the presiding officer of the House, who also has the power to convene a session prior to the appointed adjournment date or any time following an adjournment sine die.

Prorogation:

• The President issues a notification for prorogation of the session after the business of a session is completed and the presiding officer declares the House adjourned sine die.
• The President can also prorogue the House while in session.

Dissolution:

• Unlike a prorogation, a dissolution ends the very life of the existing House, and a new House is constituted after general elections are held.  
• Rajya Sabha is a permanent House, so it is not subject to dissolution and only the Lok Sabha is subject to dissolution.

The Lok Sabha can be dissolved in two distinct ways:

• Automatic dissolution occurs when its five-year term expires or when the term is extended during a national emergency; or
• The President can choose to dissolve the House. If the Lok Sabha is dissolved prior to the end of its regular term, the dissolution cannot be reversed.

Upon the Lok Sabha’s dissolution, all ongoing business, such as bills, resolutions, motions, notices, and petitions, as well as any pending matters before its committees, are terminated.

To continue pursuing these matters, they must be reintroduced in the newly-formed Lok Sabha. However, certain pending bills and all pending assurances to be examined by the Committee on Government Assurances do not expire upon the Lok Sabha’s dissolution.

The conditions regarding bill lapsing are as follows:

A Bill lapses:

• If it is pending in the Lok Sabha (whether it originated there or was sent by the Rajya Sabha),
• If the Lok Sabha has passed a bill but it is still pending in the Rajya Sabha

A Bill does not lapse:

• If a bill is not passed by both Houses due to disagreement and the president has called for a joint sitting before the Lok Sabha’s dissolution
• If a bill is pending in the Rajya Sabha but has not been passed by the Lok Sabha
• If a bill has been passed by both Houses but is awaiting the president’s approval
• If a bill has been passed by both Houses but was returned by the president for reconsideration,

Difference between Adjournment and Prorogation

Adjournment	Prorogation
Terminates only a sitting and not a session within the House	Brings an end to both a sitting and a session.
House’s presiding officer is responsible for adjournment	President of India carries out prorogation.
It leaves pending bills and other business unaffected, allowing them to continue once the House reconvenes.	It keeps pending bills and other business untouched, but all pending notices (excluding those for bill introductions) are rendered void. Fresh notices must be provided for the following session. In UK, prorogation terminates all pending bills and business before the House.

Quorum

• The minimum number of the members required to be present for conducting a meeting of the house is referred to as Quorum.
• As per Constitution,quorum is one-tenth strength for both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
• Minimum of 55 members are required to conduct a sitting of Lok Sabha and Minimum of 25 members are required to conduct a sitting of Rajya Sabha.

Joint Session of Parliament

• The Constitution of India provides for the joint sitting of Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, in order to break any deadlock between the two.
• The joint sitting of the Parliament is called by the country’s President (Article 108).
• This sitting is chaired by the Lok Sabha’s Speaker, or in their absence, by the Deputy Speaker.
• Should neither be available, the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha assumes the role.
• In the event that none of these individuals are present, any other Parliament member can preside, provided there is agreement from both Houses.

As per Article 108 of Constitution, a Joint session of Parliament can be summoned if after a Bill has been passed by one House and submitted to the other House:

• The other House refuses to pass the Bill;
• The two Houses cannot reach a consensus on the Bill’s amendments;
• A period of 6 months has elapsed since the initial House passed the Bill, and the other House has not yet approved it (the President is not permitted to call for a joint sitting if the Lok Sabha’s dissolution is the reason for the Bill not being passed).
  • Moreover, when determining the 6-month period, days when the House was either prorogued or adjourned for over four consecutive days are not included.

Conclusion

The procedures, types, and workings of parliamentary sessions, from summoning to termination, are fundamental to India’s legislative system. The three main sessions – Budget, Monsoon, and Winter – each serve distinctive functions, aiding the nation’s progress. Furthermore, intricate mechanisms like adjournment, prorogation, and dissolution ensure efficient functioning, while provisions like Quorum and Joint Session safeguard against legislative stalemates.

Ref:Source-1

Other Articles in Polity & Governance
Legislative Procedure in Parliament	Role of Parliament in India
Basic Structure of Indian Constitution	Citizenship of India
Joint Sitting of the Parliament (Article 108)	Pardoning Powers of President of India (Article 72)

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