Published: 7th Sep, 2023
Context
Special Session of Parliament (13th Session of 17th Lok Sabha and 261st Session of Rajya Sabha) has been called from September 18-22 having 5 sittings.
What does a Special session mean?
- The Constitution does not mention the term “special session.” The President, who summons a regular Parliamentary session will summon this session also as per provisions of Article 85(1) of the Constitution.
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The Constitution does not define a ‘special session’; however, Article 352 (Proclamation of Emergency) of the Constitution does refer to a “special sitting of the House”. |
- The government determines the date and duration of parliamentary sessions.
- The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs takes this decision.
- It currently has ten Ministers, including those for Defence, Home, Finance, Agriculture, Tribal Affairs, Parliamentary Affairs, and Information and Broadcasting.
- The Law Minister and the Minister of State for External Affairs are special invitees to the Committee.
- The President is informed about the Committee’s decision, who then summons Members of Parliament to meet for the session.
Constitutional Provisions:
- The Constitution specifies that six months should not elapse between two parliamentary sessions.
- This provision is a colonial legacy. The framers of the Constitution borrowed it from the Government of India Act of 1935.
- It allowed the British Governor General to call a session of the central legislature at his discretion, requiring that the gap between two sessions should not be more than 12 months.
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