Parliament and Legislative Procedure Questions and Answers

Answer: C

The provision is Article 120 (1).

Article 120(1) says that business in Parliament shall be transacted in Hindi or English, but the Speaker of the Lok Sabha (or the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha) may permit a member who cannot adequately express himself or herself in either to address the House in his or her mother tongue.

Article 110(1) defines a Money Bill, and Article 122 bars courts from inquiring into proceedings of Parliament, so neither concerns the language of debate.

Answer: C

Defection is dealt with in the Tenth Schedule.

The Tenth Schedule, added by the 52nd Amendment of 1985 and known as the anti-defection law, disqualifies a member of a legislature who voluntarily gives up membership of the party on whose ticket he was elected, or votes against its directions.

The Sixth Schedule deals with tribal areas in the North-East, the Third with forms of oaths and affirmations, and the Twelfth with the powers of municipalities.

Answer: A

The answer is A is correct but B is wrong.

Article 93 provides that the Lok Sabha shall choose a Speaker and a Deputy Speaker, so statement A is correct.

Statement B is wrong: the Lok Sabha does have a Secretary General, who heads its secretariat and is appointed by the Speaker; the Rajya Sabha has its own Secretary General too.

The Secretary General of the Lok Sabha is usually a senior civil servant or parliamentary official of the rank of Cabinet Secretary.

Answer: C

The law is the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam.

Passed by Parliament in September 2023 as the Constitution (One Hundred and Sixth Amendment) Act, 2023, it reserves one-third of the seats in the Lok Sabha, the state Legislative Assemblies and the Delhi Assembly for women, including one-third of the seats reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. The reservation takes effect after the first census and delimitation following the Act.

The other three names are invented; no Act of Parliament bears them.

Answer: B

The report of the Comptroller and Auditor General relating to the accounts of the Union is submitted to the President of India, who causes it to be laid before each House of Parliament, under Article 151(1) of the Constitution.

The Prime Minister and the Finance Minister are not the authorities to whom the report is presented, and the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha receives the report only after it is laid before the House. The report of the CAG on State accounts goes to the Governor, not the President.

Answer: C

The objective of a cut motion is to move a proposal to reduce expenditure in budget proposals.

A cut motion is moved in the Lok Sabha during the voting on demands for grants to reduce the amount of a demand. A policy cut reduces it to Re 1 to show disapproval of policy, an economy cut reduces it by a stated amount, and a token cut reduces it by Rs 100 to raise a specific grievance.

A cut motion does not restrict day-to-day spending or grants in general. It is moved against a demand in the budget, not against grants as such from the Consolidated Fund.

Answer: D

The statement that is not correct is Its introduction in the House requires seven days' notice.

A private member's bill requires one month's notice before it can be introduced. A government bill can be introduced with seven days' notice.

The other three statements are correct. A private bill is introduced by any member who is not a minister, the member is responsible for drafting it, and its rejection by the House has no bearing on the government's majority or its survival. A government bill's defeat, by contrast, can amount to a loss of confidence.

Answer: B

A Bill is not a Money Bill merely because it provides for the imposition of fines or other pecuniary penalties, or the demand or payment of fees for licences or fees for services rendered.

Article 110(1) lists what makes a Bill a Money Bill: the imposition, abolition, remission, alteration or regulation of any tax; the regulation of borrowing by the Government of India; custody of and withdrawals from the Consolidated Fund; and appropriation of money out of it.

Article 110(2) then excludes Bills that provide only for fines, penalties, or fees for licences or services, and Bills about taxation by local bodies. The other three options are all items from Article 110(1), so a Bill containing them is a Money Bill.

Answer: D

The statement that is not correct is Only Lok Sabha has power in the introduction and passage of financial Bills involving expenditure from the Consolidated Fund of India.

A financial Bill that only involves expenditure from the Consolidated Fund (a Bill under Article 117(3)) is treated like an ordinary Bill: it can be introduced in either House, and the Rajya Sabha has full power to amend or reject it. Only the President's recommendation is needed before it is considered.

The other statements are correct. A Money Bill can be introduced only in the Lok Sabha. The Rajya Sabha discusses the budget but does not vote on demands for grants. The two Houses have equal powers over ordinary Bills, with a joint sitting to resolve deadlock.

Answer: A

A recess is the interval between the prorogation of Parliament and its reassembly in a new session.

A session of Parliament is the period from the first sitting to prorogation. The gap between the prorogation of one session and the start of the next is the recess. Under Article 85, it may not exceed six months.

Parliament in session is the opposite of a recess. An adjournment suspends a sitting for hours or days within a session, without ending it. Dissolution ends the life of the Lok Sabha itself and leads to a general election.