Summoning
- The president can summon each House of Parliament to meet from time to time, ensuring the maximum gap between two sessions is less than six months.
- Typically, Parliament meets three times a year in the following sessions:
➤ Budget Session (February to May)
➤ Monsoon Session (July to September)
➤ Winter Session (November to December)
- A session spans from the first sitting of a House to its prorogation or dissolution (for Lok Sabha). The period between sessions is called a "recess."
Adjournment
- A session consists of many meetings, with each meeting containing two sittings: a morning session from 11 am to 1 pm and a post-lunch session from 2 pm to 6 pm.
- A sitting can be terminated by adjournment, suspending work for a specific time (hours, days, or weeks).
Adjournment Sine Die
- Adjournment sine die means suspending a sitting of Parliament for an indefinite period, without specifying a date for reassembly.
- The presiding officer of the House holds the power to adjourn or adjourn sine die.
Prorogation
- After the presiding officer declares the House adjourned sine die following the completion of a session's business, the president issues a notification to prorogue the session.
- The president may also prorogue the House while it is in session.
Dissolution
- Rajya Sabha is not subject to dissolution as it is a permanent House. Only Lok Sabha can be dissolved, ending the life of the existing House and leading to general elections for a new House.
Quorum
- Quorum is the minimum number of members required in the House to conduct business, equaling one-tenth of the total number of members in each House (including the presiding officer).
- For Lok Sabha, a quorum requires 55 members; for Rajya Sabha, 25 members.
- If there is no quorum, the presiding officer can adjourn the House or suspend the meeting until a quorum is reached.
Rights of Ministers and Attorney General
- Ministers and the attorney general of India can speak and participate in proceedings of either House, any joint sitting, and any parliamentary committee they are a member of, but they do not have voting rights.
- This provision allows ministers to participate in proceedings even if they belong to the other House or are not members of either House.
Lame-duck Session
- The lame-duck session is the last session of the current Lok Sabha, occurring after a new Lok Sabha has been elected.
- Members of the existing Lok Sabha who are not re-elected are known as lame-ducks.
