PARLIAMENT OF INDIA :
Parliament is the supreme legislative body of a country. Our Parliament comprises of the President and the two Houses - Lok Sabha (House of the People) and Rajya Sabha (Council of States).The President has the power to summon and prorogue either House of Parliament or to dissolve Lok Sabha.
Qualification:
To be qualified for the position of the President of India, a person must be a citizen of India, completed 35 years of age, eligible to be a member of Lok Sabha, must not hold any office of profit under government of India or any other authority.
ELECTION OF THE PRESIDENT (ARTICLES 54 & 55)
• Article 54 provides that President shall be elected by an electoral college consisting of:-
(a) Elected members of both Houses of Parliament
(b) Elected members of the Legislative Assemblies of the States
• Article 55 (3) states that the election of the President shall be held in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of single transferable vote. Voting is done through secret ballot.
• To secure uniformity among States and Parity between the Union and States following formula is adopted:-
• After calculating the value of vote of MLAs and MPs, acomplex system of calculating the quota of individual candidates is used which is based on the order of preference of candidates.
• Article 71 provides that all disputes arising out of the election of President or Vice-President shall be 'inquired' into and 'decided' by the Supreme Court whose decision shall be final.
• Oath of affirmation of President's office is administered by the Chief Justice of India (Article 60) or by the senior most judge of the Supreme Court.
• Impeachment is a quasi-Judicial procedure mentioned in Article 61. Impeachment charge against the President may be initiated by either Houses of the Parliament.
THE POWERS OF PRESIDENT OF INDIA :
• President appoints PM, Ministers, Chief Justice & judge of Supreme Court & High Court, Chairman & members of UPSC, Comptroller and Auditor General, Attorney General,Chief Election Commissioner and other members of Election Commission of India, Governors, Members of Finance
Commission, Ambassadors, etc
• He can summon & prorogue the sessions of the 2 houses & can dissolve Lok Sabha
• He appoints Finance Commission (after every 5 years) that recommends distribution of taxes between Union & State governments
The President can promulgate 3 types of Emergencies:-
- National Emergency (Article 352),
- State Emergency (President's Rule)(Article 356),
- Financial Emergency (Article 360)
EMERGENCY POWERS :
Article 352 to 360 provides for Emergency Powers of the President.
Emergencies envisaged under the Constitution are of 3 types:
• National Emergency (Art 352) which arise out of war, external aggression or armed rebellion.
• President's Rule (Art 356 & 365) which is due to failure of Constitutional Machinery in the State.
• Financial Emergency (Art 360), If the President is satisfied that there is an economic situation in which the financial stability or credit of India is threatened.
• He is the Supreme Commander of the Defence Forces of India
• President appoints Chief of Army, Navy and Air force
• He declares wars & concludes peace subject to the approval of the Parliament
• No money bill or demand for grant can be introduced or moved in Parliament unless it has been recommended by the President
• He has the power to grant pardon, reprieve or remit of punishment or commute death sentences.
List of President of India
LOK SABHA :
Lok Sabha, as the name itself signifies, is the body of representatives of the people. It is the Lower House of Parliament. Its members are directly elected, normally once in every five years by the adult
population who are eligible to vote. The minimum qualifying age for membership of the House is 25 years. The present membership of Lok Sabha is 545. The number is divided among the different States and Union Territories. Two Members are nominated by President of India from the Anglo-Indian community.
ELECTION OF LOK SABHA :
• Members of Lok Sabha are directly elected by the People.
• Total membership is fixed at 552 by the Constitution.
• Every citizen of India above 18 and is not disqualified on the grounds of non-residence, unsoundness mind, crime or corrupt or illegal practices is entitled to vote (Art 326)
• Constitution 61st Amendment Act (1987) has reduced the Age of voting from 21 to 18 years
• Its term can be extended beyond 5 years by the Parliament.This can be done during the Proclamation of Emergency(Under Art 352). But this extension can not be done for a period exceeding one year at a time and such extension cannot continue beyond a period of 6 months after
Proclamation of Emergency ceases to operate.
• Delimitation of Constituencies is done after each Census by A designated authority and in a manner as the Parliament by law determines. 1971 census data is being used now.
The number of seats has been freezed till 2026 to maintain the share of states where the rate of population growth is declining.
RAJYA SABHA
Rajya Sabha is the Upper House of Parliament. It is a permanent body. It is not subject to dissolution but one-third of its members retire every two years. Rajya Sabha was duly constituted for the first time on April 3, 1952. It has not more than 250 members(245 members at present).Members of Rajya Sabha are not elected by the people directly but indirectly by the Legislative Assemblies of the various States. Every State is allotted a certain number of members and twelve of Rajya Sabha members are nominated by the President from persons who have earned distinction in the fields of literature, art, science and social service. No member of Rajya Sabha can be under 30 years of age.
FUNCTIONS OF LOK SABHA AND RAJYA SABHA:
The main function of both the Houses is to pass laws. Every Bill has to be passed by both the Houses and assented to by the President before it becomes law. The subjects over which Parliament can legislate are the subjects mentioned under the Union List in the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India.Broadly speaking, Union subjects are those important subjects which for reasons of convenience, efficiency and security are administered on all-India basis. The principal Union subjects are :
- Defence
- Foreign Affairs
- Railways
- Transport and Communications
- Currency and Coinage
- Banking
- Customs and Excise Duties
There are numerous other subjects on which both Parliament and State Legislatures can legislate.
SESSIONS OF THE PARLIAMENT :
•Parliament normally meets in three sessions in an year:-
- Budget Session - February - May
- Monsoon Session - July - August
- Winter Session - November - December
• Adjournments: During a session, there are daily sittings separated by adjournments. These postpone the further consideration of business for a specified time which may extend for hours, days and even weeks.
..........................................All the Best..................................
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