Both houses of the Indian Parliament have distinct mechanisms for parliamentary procedures in a legislative session. These devices are employed to force members of Parliament to follow the rules of their respective chambers. The UPSC Indian Polity and Governance Syllabus include the Devices of Parliamentary Proceedings which is described in this article.

Sessions of Parliament- Summoning

According to the Constitution, the President may invite each House of Parliament to meet at any time and location he deems appropriate, although no more than six months must elapse between the last sitting of one session and the first sitting of the next. That is, the Parliament should meet at least twice a year. Usually, there are three sessions in a year such as:

1. The Budget Session (February to May).
2. The Monsoon Session (July to September).
3. The Winter Session (November to December).

Sessions of Parliament- Adjournment

• A Parliamentary session consists of multiple meetings, with two sittings every day: a morning sitting from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and a post-lunch sitting from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
• Adjournment or adjournment sine die, prorogation, or dissolution are all options for ending a Parliamentary session (in the case of the Lok Sabha). An adjournment is when the work in a session is put on hold for a set amount of time, which could be hours, days, or weeks.

Sessions of Parliament-Adjournment Sine Die

• It entails calling a halt to a Parliamentary session for an indefinite amount of time. Adjournment sine die refers to when the House is adjourned without specifying a date for reassembly.
• The presiding officer of the House has the authority of adjournment as well as adjournment sine die, and he or she can call a sitting of the House before the day or hour to which it has been postponed or at any time after the House has been adjourned sine die.

Sessions of Parliament-Prorogation

• The Speaker of Lok Sabha or Chairman of Rajya Sabha declares the House adjourned sine die when the business of a session is completed.
• The President then issues notification of the session's prorogation within a few days.
• While the House is in session, the President has the power to prorogate it.

Differences Between Adjournment and Prorogation

Sessions of Parliament- Dissolution

• Unlike the prorogation, a dissolution ends the term of the existing House, and thus a new House is constituted after general elections being held.
• Since Rajya Sabha is a permanent House, it is not subject to dissolution. Thus, only the Lok Sabha is subject to dissolution.
• The dissolution of the Lok Sabha may take place in either of the two ways such as:

1. Expiry of its tenure of five years or the terms as extended during a national emergency which is called Automatic dissolution.
2. Whenever the President decides to dissolve the House, which he/she is authorized to do.

• The dissolution is irrevocable if the Lok Sabha is dissolved before the completion of its normal tenure.
• When the Lok Sabha is dissolved, all business pending before it or its committees expires, including bills, motions, resolutions, notices, petitions, and so on. In the newly formed Lok Sabha, they must be reintroduced.
• Some pending bills, as well as any pending assurances that must be considered by the Committee on Government Assurances, do not expire when the Lok Sabha is dissolved.

The conditions concerning lapsing of bills are as follows:

1. A bill pending in the Lok Sabha lapses (whether originating in the Lok Sabha or transmitted to it by the Rajya Sabha).
2. A bill passed by the Lok Sabha but pending in the Rajya Sabha lapses.
3. A bill not passed by the two Houses due to disagreement and if the President has notified the holding of a joint sitting before the dissolution of Lok Sabha, does not lapse.
4. A bill pending in the Rajya Sabha but not passed by the Lok Sabha does not lapse.
5. A bill passed by both Houses but pending assent of the president does not lapse.
6. A bill passed by both Houses but returned by the president for reconsideration of Houses does not lapse.

Quorum

• Quorum refers to the number of members who must be present in the House before it may do any action.
• It is one-tenth of each House's total membership, including the Presiding Officer.
• If any business is to be performed, there must be at least 55 members present in the Lok Sabha and 25 members present in the Rajya Sabha.
• It is the duty of the presiding officer either to adjourn the House or to suspend the meeting If there is no quorum during a meeting of the House.

Sessions of Parliament-Voting in House

• All items resolved by a majority of votes of the members present and voting, excluding the Presiding officer, at any sitting of either House or combined sitting of both Houses are decided by a majority of votes of the members present and voting.
• Some matters which are specifically mentioned in the Constitution such as the impeachment of the President, amendment of the Constitution, removal of the presiding officers of the Parliament, and so on, require a special majority, not the ordinary majority.
• The presiding officer of a House does not vote in the first instance but exercises a casting vote in the case of an equality of votes.

Language in Parliament

• Hindi and English are declared to be the languages for transacting business in Parliament by the Constitution of India.
• However, a member can address the House in his/her mother tongue with the permission of the presiding officer.

Lame-duck Session

• The last session of the existing Lok Sabha after a new Lok Sabha has been elected is referred to as the Lame-duck session.
• Lame-ducks are members of the existing Lok Sabha who did not win re-election to the next Lok Sabha.

Conclusion

The Sessions of Parliament are the most important part of the legislative setup of the largest democracy in the World, India. The different devices of parliamentary proceedings enable the legislators to make, amend and rectify the laws in an efficient manner. The makers of the Constitution need to be credited for providing such a well-structured system of parliamentary proceedings.

FAQs 

Q1: What is the purpose of summoning the Parliament?

Q2: What is the difference between adjournment and adjournment sine die?

Q3: What does prorogation of the Parliament signify?

Q4: How does dissolution affect the Lok Sabha?

Q5: What is the quorum required for conducting business in the Houses of Parliament?

MCQs 

1. What is the maximum time gap between two sessions of Parliament?

A) 3 months

B) 4 months

C) 5 months

D) 6 months

2. Who can prorogue the Parliament session?

A) Speaker of the Lok Sabha

B) President of India

C) Vice President of India

D) Prime Minister

3. What happens when the Lok Sabha is dissolved?

A) The President appoints new members.

B) The existing members continue until the next session.

C) A new Lok Sabha is constituted after elections.

D) Only the business of the Rajya Sabha continues.

4. How is a special majority defined in Parliament voting?

A) A simple majority of those present

B) A majority of total members

C) A majority of those present and voting, excluding the presiding officer

D) A majority of those who voted

5. Which language(s) can be used for conducting business in Parliament?

A) Only English

B) Only Hindi

C) Hindi and English

D) Any Indian language

GS Mains Questions and Model Answers

Q1: Discuss the importance of the quorum in the functioning of Parliament.

Answer: Quorum is crucial for the legitimacy of parliamentary proceedings. It ensures that a sufficient number of elected representatives are present to conduct the business of the House. In the absence of quorum, decisions made in Parliament could be challenged on grounds of inadequate representation. In both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, the quorum requirement is one-tenth of the total membership. If quorum is not met, the presiding officer has the power to adjourn the session or suspend proceedings.

Q2: Explain the difference between prorogation and dissolution in the context of Parliament.

Answer: Prorogation marks the formal end of a session of Parliament, declared by the President. It concludes all business for that session, but Parliament remains in existence, and members do not lose their seats. Dissolution, on the other hand, refers to the termination of the entire Lok Sabha, resulting in the loss of all current business and the need for fresh elections to constitute a new House. The Rajya Sabha, as a permanent body, is not subject to dissolution.

Q3: Analyze the role of adjournment sine die in parliamentary proceedings.

Answer: Adjournment sine die refers to the suspension of a parliamentary session without specifying a date for reconvening. This can occur when the business of the session is concluded or when there is no need for further meetings. It is an important parliamentary device that allows flexibility in scheduling sessions and ensures that members can focus on other legislative activities when needed. It also helps in maintaining the procedural order within Parliament and prevents unnecessary delays.

Previous Year Questions on Sessions of Parliament

1. UPSC CSE 2018

Question: "Explain the procedure for prorogation and dissolution of the Lok Sabha."

Answer: Prorogation is the formal end of a session, declared by the President after the completion of the session's business. The session is concluded, and all pending business expires. A new session requires the reintroduction of any pending bills. Dissolution, on the other hand, refers to the termination of the Lok Sabha’s term, after which elections are held. The dissolution is irrevocable and results in the expiration of all bills and motions in progress. It may be automatic after five years or earlier if the President decides.

2. UPSC CSE 2017

Question: "What is the significance of quorum in the parliamentary process?"

Answer: Quorum is vital for the legitimacy of parliamentary proceedings. It ensures that decisions are made by a sufficient number of representatives, reflecting the will of the people. The quorum for both Houses of Parliament is one-tenth of the total membership, including the presiding officer. Without quorum, the House cannot conduct business, and any decisions made could be considered invalid. If quorum is not met, the presiding officer has the authority to adjourn the session.