History & Civics
The Union Legislature of India is not only the law-making body, but the center of all democratic political process. With reference to the Parliament, answer the following questions:
(i) The Lok Sabha is more powerful than the Rajya Sabha. Justify this by mentioning any three points.
(ii) Rajya Sabha adjourned sine die, overall productivity at 79 percent.
- Deccan Herald, 21 December 2023.
Who can adjourn the above session? Explain the composition of this house.
(iii) Mention any four legislative powers of the Parliament.
Answer
(i) The Lok Sabha has special powers which make it more powerful than the Rajya Sabha. These special powers are:
- Motions of No-confidence against the government can only be introduced and passed in the Lok Sabha. If passed by a majority vote, the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers resign collectively. The Rajya Sabha has no power over such a motion, and hence no real power over the executive.
- Money bills can only be introduced in the Lok Sabha, and upon being passed, are sent to the Rajya Sabha, where it can be deliberated on for up to 14 days.
- In case of a deadlock between the two Houses over a non-financial (ordinary) bill, the will of the Lok Sabha normally prevails, as its strength is more than double that of the Rajya Sabha.
(ii) The Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, who is the Vice President of India, has the authority to adjourn a Rajya Sabha session.
Composition of the Rajya Sabha — The maximum strength of the Rajya Sabha can be 250 members, out of which-
- 12 members are nominated by the President from among persons having special knowledge or practical experience in matters such as literature, science, art and social service.
- 238 members are elected by the States in the Union. Seats are allocated to the States and the Union Territories on the basis of their population.
(iii) Four legislative powers of the Union Parliament are-
- Matters in the Union List — The Parliament has exclusive powers to make laws on all the subjects mentioned in the Union List, including important subjects like Defence, Banking, Communications, Foreign Affairs, etc.
- Matters in the Concurrent List — Parliament and State Legislative Assemblies can both make laws on Concurrent List subjects like education, forests, succession, etc. In case of a conflict, the Union law overrides the State law.
- Residuary Powers — Parliament can make laws on subjects not listed in the Union, State, or Concurrent Lists.
- Powers during Emergency — When a State faces a breakdown of Constitutional machinery, Parliament takes over its legislative and financial powers, including passing the State budget.
Related Questions
Mention any two objectives of the League of Nations.
Name the two alliances formed in Europe before the beginning of the First World War.
The President is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Indian Armed Forces. With reference to this, answer the following questions:
(i) The President is the nominal head of the country and cannot act independently. Mention any three legislative powers of the President which justifies the nominal position.
(ii) Mention any three financial powers of the President.
(iii) Describe the procedure of impeachment of the President.
The Supreme Court of India is the supreme judicial authority and the highest court of the Republic of India. It is the final court of appeal for all civil and criminal cases. With reference to the Supreme Court, answer the following questions:
(i) Who appoints the judges of the Supreme Court?
Mention any two qualifications required for a person to be appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court.(ii) Under Article 129, the Supreme Court of India is called a Court of Record. Justify this statement with any three points.
(iii) Explain the following terms:
(a) Revisory Jurisdiction
(b) Advisory Jurisdiction