Parliamentary Procedures
i) Session: Session is a time span or period between
commencements of the business of the parliament until it’s concluded.
· Parliament
should have min. 2 sessions in 1 yr. but that gap between session & other
is 6 months and should not be exceeded.
· No
sealing of the maximum Session.
· Now
as a convention, there are 3 sessions.
· On
an average 3 sessions combined have 90 – 95 days.
-1st Session: (Budget Session), in month of
Feb – April, extending up to May.
-2nd Session: (Monsoon Session) in July –
August
-3rd Session: (Winter Session) in Nov –
Dec.
· However
a special session may be convened accordingly.
· Sessions
are divided into seating’s (sittings)
· Sitting
is separated by adjournment.
ii) Adjournment:
· It
is the means of postponing the business of the house for a specific time.
· Presiding
officer adjourn the houses.
iii) Adjournment Sine-die: If the business of the
house is postponed indefinitely without time & date, it is called
Adjournment Sine-die.
-Presiding officer adjourn ‘Adjournment Sine-die’.
iv) Prorogue: Termination of the Session or putting an end
to the session. Prorogue is a long Adjournment.
· President
of India prorogue the houses.
· Governor
prorogues the state legislature. When the house is prorogued, no impact is felt
on the pending bills.
· But,
notices, pending in the house will be lapsed.
v) Quorum:
· Minimum
no. of members to be present in each house in order to transact the business.
· In
India, Quorum is 1/10th of the total members of the house,
including the presiding officers.
· But
at state level min. no. of members to be present is ‘10’ or 1/0th whichever
is high.
vi) Question Hour: Question Hour is a
legislative device/process of asking & answering the question.
· No
question can be asked without prior notice. The question hour is held every 1st hour
of each day.
· Every
day the business of parliament commences with a question hours usually for 1
hr.
· There
are 3 types of question hours.
1. Started
Questions: for these, the ministers concern will be given in oral reply.
There is possibility of asking or 2 supplement question.
2. Unstarted
Question: for these, the ministers concerned will give written form.
3. Short
notice duration question: the minister concern has to give reply within 10
days only.
vii) Zero hour:
· This
hour commences after completion of question hour. There is no specific timing
for zero hour.
· The
questions can be asked without prior notice but the members can’t insist for
answers.
· The
word ‘0’ hour is not mentioned in the parliamentary rules & procedures.
· This
procedure is indigenous (Indian) procedure, term coined by the press.
a) Calling Attention motion: It is also an indigenous
procedure. This motion can be initiated in either house. For that, a notice
signed by 2 members must be presented to presiding officer. (Admitting/ not
admitting any motion is discretionary power of presiding officer).
· The
purpose of calling attention motion is to attract the attention of the minister
concerned on a very important public problem, urgent in nature; in order to get
authentic information.
· This
motion does not involve debate & voting. Simply minister makes a statement.
b) Adjournment motion:
· This
is very powerful motion, an exclusive motion of lower houses (LS and Assembly).
· For
moving this motion, a notice signed by 50 members shall be given to speaker.
· The
speaker admits the motion and all the business pending before the house hereby
is adjourned.
· The
purpose of this motion is to attract the attention of the house in a very
important public problem, urgent in nature.
· There
will be discussion & voting on this motion.
· If
the motion is approved, Govt. need not resign, but Govt. is put to severe
criticism, reprimand.
c) No confidence motion:
· It
is an ultimate motion. If this motion is approved by majority, Govt. has to
resign.
· This
motion has to be introduced in lower house. For that, a notice signed by 50
members, shall be presented to speaker.
· If
admitted there will be discussion & voting. To introduce this motion, no
specific reason is to be mentioned or included.
· As
a convention, not more than 2 no. confidence motions are allowed in the span of
6 months.
d) Motion of confidence:
· This
motion is also introduced in lower house. This motion is initiated by the
executive.
· The
PM or CM asks the house to express the confidence in his/her Govt.
· This
motion is put to vote, usually no discussion. If the majority members express
confidence, Govt. survives else the Govt. resigns.
e) Censure motion:
· This
motion can be initiated in either house. It can be introduced against minister
or some ministers or either COMs.
· The
purpose of this motion is to serve a warning to the ministers, who are not
discharging their duties properly or having certain allegations in their
ministry.
· In
rare cases discussion & voting is allowed.
f) Point of order: A kind of objection
mentioned in the house.
· The
purpose of this point of order is to verify whether the house is transacting
its business properly or not.
· Speaker
ruling is final.
g) Mention under rule 377:
· A
matter which cannot be mentioned in any procedure so far explained (above), can
be mentioned under this rule.
· Generally
the difficulties faced by MPs, while they are interacting with Govt.
authorities are mentioned under this category.
· This
mention is known as special mention in RS.
h) Lame duck session:
· It
is the last meeting of members who are not elected in the eventual elections,
will have joint meeting with the elected members.
· This
procedure does not exist in India.
i) Floor crossing:
· Member
of an opposition party joining a party which is in power.
j) Carpet crossing: Member of a party in
power joining the opposition party.
k) Horse trading: Jumping from 1 party to
other generally known as deflection.
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