How Parliament works: bills, sessions and motions
The rules by which Parliament passes bills, holds the government to account and fills the gaps when it is not sitting.
What the paper can ask
- By convention Parliament meets in three sessions a year, Budget, Monsoon and Winter; under Article 85 the gap between two sessions cannot exceed six months.
- Money Bills are defined by Article 110; the Speaker certifies whether a bill is a Money Bill, and that decision is final.
- Joint sittings under Article 108 have been held only three times: in 1961 (the Dowry Prohibition Bill), 1978 (the Banking Service Commission (Repeal) Bill) and 2002 (the Prevention of Terrorism Bill).
- An ordinance can be issued by the President when both Houses are not in session; it has the same force as an Act, but it must be laid before both Houses and lapses unless approved in time.
- The first no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha came in August 1963. In April 1999 a government lost a confidence vote by a single vote.
- Cut motions on demands for grants come in three kinds: policy cut, economy cut and token cut, each reducing the demand in a different way; the Speaker decides admissibility.
Latest
The Budget Session of 2026 began on 28 January and was adjourned sine die on 18 April after 31 sittings, extended well past its 2 April schedule to handle the delimitation bills.
Why exams ask
Questions test where each kind of bill starts, time limits for the other House, who presides over a joint sitting, quorum, how long an ordinance lasts, and the numbers behind motions.
The full story
A bill becomes an Act after both Houses pass it and the President assents. Bills come in kinds (ordinary, financial, money, constitution amendment), and the kind decides the route and each House's powers. By convention Parliament meets in three sessions a year, Budget, Monsoon and Winter. Question Hour and Zero Hour let members raise matters. No-confidence and cut motions hold ministers to account.
In the news
Test yourself
1.Who presides over a joint sitting of the two Houses of Parliament?
Correct. Article 118(4): the Speaker of the House of the People, or in his absence such person as determined by rules, presides at a joint sitting summoned under Article 108.
Not quite. Article 118(4): the Speaker of the House of the People, or in his absence such person as determined by rules, presides at a joint sitting summoned under Article 108. It goes into your error book.
2.A Money Bill can be introduced only in
Correct. Article 109(1): a Money Bill shall not be introduced in the Council of States. It needs the President's recommendation (Article 117) and the Speaker certifies it (Article 110(4)).
Not quite. Article 109(1): a Money Bill shall not be introduced in the Council of States. It needs the President's recommendation (Article 117) and the Speaker certifies it (Article 110(4)). It goes into your error book.
3.The Rajya Sabha can delay a Money Bill for a maximum period of
Correct. Article 109: the Rajya Sabha must return a Money Bill within fourteen days with or without recommendations; otherwise it is deemed passed.
Not quite. Article 109: the Rajya Sabha must return a Money Bill within fourteen days with or without recommendations; otherwise it is deemed passed. It goes into your error book.