The Rajya Sabha is a permanent House and cannot be dissolved, while the Lok Sabha may be dissolved. Both Houses first met on 13 May 1952.
Kihoto Hollohan v. Zachillhu (1992) — Presiding Officer decision final, but Judiciary can review. Disqualification on defection decided by Speaker (LS) / Chairman (RS).
The privilege from arrest applies only in civil cases. MPs and MLAs may be arrested in criminal cases. The civil protection covers the 40 days before a session, the session itself and the 40 days after it.
Salaries and allowances are determined by Parliament and paid from the Consolidated Fund of India; the oath is prescribed in the Third Schedule.
The 104th Amendment ended the nomination of Anglo-Indian members to the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies in 2020. The arrangement had originally been temporary and was repeatedly extended.
The 84th Amendment froze the allocation of seats until 2026. Delimitation based on a subsequent census has generated controversy, particularly among southern states.
Members of the Rajya Sabha are elected indirectly by elected MLAs of State Legislative Assemblies; the public does not vote directly in these elections.
Rajya Sabha seat allocation: Uttar Pradesh 31, Maharashtra 19, Tamil Nadu 18, and Bihar and West Bengal 16 each. Bihar has more Rajya Sabha seats than Jharkhand.
Pro-tem Speaker — Senior-most MP after LS election · Appointed by President · Only job: administer oath to new MPs & conduct Speaker election.
The Vice-President is not a member of the Rajya Sabha, but serves as its Chairman. The Vice-President has no ordinary vote in either House and may cast only a deciding vote in the Rajya Sabha in case of a tie.
Presiding order for a joint sitting: Speaker of the Lok Sabha → Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha → Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. The Chairman of the Rajya Sabha does not preside.
| State / UT | RS Seats | State / UT | RS Seats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uttar Pradesh | 31 | Tamil Nadu | 18 |
| Maharashtra | 19 | Bihar | 16 |
| West Bengal | 16 | Karnataka | 12 |
| Andhra Pradesh | 11 | Gujarat | 11 |
| Madhya Pradesh | 11 | Rajasthan | 10 |
| Odisha | 10 | Kerala | 9 |
| Assam | 7 | Telangana | 7 |
| Punjab | 7 | Jharkhand | 6 |
| Chhattisgarh | 5 | Haryana | 5 |
| J&K* | 4 | Delhi (NCT) | 3 |
| Puducherry | 1 | Nominated | 12 |
| TOTAL | 245 | ||
Bihar has 16 Rajya Sabha seats and 40 Lok Sabha seats—an important fact for Bihar examinations.
| State | Total | SC | ST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uttar Pradesh | 80 | 17 | — |
| Maharashtra | 48 | 5 | 4 |
| West Bengal | 42 | 10 | 2 |
| Bihar | 40 | 6 | — |
| Tamil Nadu | 39 | 7 | — |
| Madhya Pradesh | 29 | 4 | 6 |
| Karnataka | 28 | 5 | 2 |
| Gujarat | 26 | 2 | 4 |
| Andhra Pradesh | 25 | 4 | 1 |
| Rajasthan | 25 | 4 | 3 |
| Telangana | 17 | 3 | 2 |
| Delhi (NCT) | 7 | 1 | — |
| TOTAL | 543 | ||
The President summons a session, while the presiding officer adjourns a sitting temporarily. These functions are different and commonly confused.
Zero Hour is an informal parliamentary practice and is not mentioned in the Constitution. Question Hour includes starred, unstarred and short-notice questions.
The Rajya Sabha may retain a Money Bill for 14 days and make recommendations, which the Lok Sabha may accept or reject. Every Money Bill is a Financial Bill, but not every Financial Bill is a Money Bill. Joint sittings have been held for the Dowry Prohibition Bill, Banking Service Commission Repeal Bill and POTA Bill.
President Giani Zail Singh used a pocket veto on the Indian Post Office (Amendment) Bill by neither assenting to nor returning it, leaving the Bill pending.
The President must assent to a Constitution Amendment Bill under the 24th Amendment. Absolute, suspensive and pocket vetoes may apply to ordinary Bills; India does not use the qualified veto found in the United States.
A Policy Cut reduces the demand to ₹1 and signifies disapproval of government policy. A Token Cut reduces it by ₹100 to express a specific grievance.
A successful no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha removes the government. A censure motion criticises a specific policy or action without automatically removing the government. An adjournment motion raises an urgent matter of public importance.
Admission of a no-confidence motion or an adjournment motion in the Lok Sabha requires the support of at least 50 members. A censure motion has no corresponding minimum-support requirement.
| Committee | Members | Key Details |
|---|---|---|
| Public Accounts Committee | 22 15 LS + 7 RS |
Oldest committee · Reviews expenditure & CAG reports · Headed by Opposition leader |
| Estimates Committee | 30 All from LS |
Est. 1950 · Suggestions on financial policies · Only LS members |
| Privileges Committee | 15 10 LS + 5 RS |
Examine breach of parliamentary privileges |
| Select Committee (JPC) | 30 From LS or RS |
Whichever house establishes it · Examination of special bills |
| Joint Select Committee | 45 30 LS + 15 RS |
Joint examination of bills by both houses |
| Committee on Public Undertakings | 22 15 LS + 7 RS |
Est. 1964 · Examines public sector accounts & CAG findings · Formed on K.C. Menon Committee recommendation |
The Public Accounts Committee is the oldest financial committee and is conventionally chaired by a member of the Opposition. All 30 members of the Estimates Committee are drawn from the Lok Sabha; the Rajya Sabha has no representation.
The Constitution uses the term Annual Financial Statement rather than budget. The Rajya Sabha may discuss the budget but cannot vote on Demands for Grants.
Withdrawal from the Consolidated Fund requires parliamentary authorisation. The President may authorise an advance from the Contingency Fund without prior approval, but Parliament must subsequently approve it.
| Article | Subject |
|---|---|
| 79 | Formation / Constitution of Parliament |
| 80 | Composition of Rajya Sabha |
| 81 | Composition of Lok Sabha |
| 82 | Readjustment after each census (Delimitation) |
| 83 | Duration of Houses |
| 84 | Eligibility / Qualifications for Parliament |
| 85 | Sessions, prorogation, dissolution |
| 86 | President's address to both Houses |
| 87 | Special address by President |
| 88 | Rights of Ministers & Attorney General |
| 89 | Chairman & Deputy Chairman of RS |
| 90 | Resignation & removal of Chairman |
| 91 | Power of Deputy Chairman |
| 93 | Speaker & Deputy Speaker of LS |
| 94 | Vacancy of LS Speaker |
| 97 | Salaries & Allowances |
| 98 | Secretariat of Parliament |
| 102 | Disqualification of Members |
| 103 | Disqualification by President (EC advice) |
| 107 | Bill — introduced in either House |
| 108 | Joint Sitting of both Houses |
| 110 | Money Bill |
| 112 | Annual Financial Statement (Budget) |
| 114 | Appropriation Bill |
| 117(3) | Finance Bill |
| 123 | Presidential Ordinance |
| 266(1) | Consolidated Fund of India |
| 266(2) | Public Accounts of India |
| 267 | Contingency Fund of India |