The Constitution provides rules regarding:
The major constitutional provisions are:
Article 83 → Duration of Houses
Article 85 → Sessions of Parliament
Rajya Sabha is a:
Permanent House
It is:
Not subject to dissolution
However, individual members have a fixed term.
6 years
Approximately:
One-third of members retire every second year
This ensures continuity of the House.
Rajya Sabha → Permanent
Member → 6 years
1/3 → Retire every 2 years
The normal term of Lok Sabha is:
5 years
The period is calculated from the date appointed for its:
First meeting
At the end of the normal term:
Lok Sabha is dissolved
unless it has already been dissolved earlier.
Lok Sabha → 5 years
Rajya Sabha → Permanent
Dissolution means:
Termination of the existence of the House
After dissolution:
Dissolution applies to:
Lok Sabha
not Rajya Sabha.
Yes.
Lok Sabha may be dissolved before completing its normal five-year term.
The President formally dissolves Lok Sabha under the Constitution.
In the parliamentary system, this is ordinarily done on the advice of the:
Council of Ministers
headed by the:
Prime Minister
During a Proclamation of Emergency under:
Article 352
Parliament may extend the normal term of Lok Sabha.
The extension can be made:
One year at a time
Such extension cannot continue beyond:
Six months after the Emergency has ceased to operate
Emergency → +1 year at a time
After Emergency ends → Maximum 6 months
No.
Rajya Sabha is already a:
Permanent House
Therefore, the special emergency extension provision concerning the duration of Lok Sabha does not apply to Rajya Sabha in the same way.
Article 85 deals with:
Sessions of Parliament
The President summons Parliament.
The President may summon:
The Constitution requires that:
Six months shall not intervene between the last sitting in one session and the date appointed for the first sitting in the next session.
Therefore, Parliament must meet at least:
Twice a year
in the constitutional sense that the gap between sessions cannot exceed six months.
The Constitution does not prescribe:
A fixed number of sessions every year
It prescribes:
Maximum six-month gap
The:
President
summons each House of Parliament from time to time.
This is done under:
Article 85
In practice, the President acts on the advice of the:
Council of Ministers
The:
President
has the power to:
Prorogue Parliament
The President may prorogue:
Prorogation means:
Termination of a session of Parliament
It is different from:
Dissolution
→ Ends a session
→ Ends the Lok Sabha itself
Prorogation → Session ends
Dissolution → Lok Sabha ends
Adjournment means:
Suspension of the sitting of a House for a specified period
It is generally ordered by the:
Presiding officer
of the House.
Speaker
Chairman
| Feature | Adjournment | Prorogation |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Suspension of sitting | End of a session |
| Authority | Presiding officer | President |
| Applies to | House sitting | House/session |
| Session continues? | Yes | No |
Adjournment sine die means:
Termination of a sitting of the House without fixing a date for the next sitting
It does not mean dissolution.
The House can later be summoned again.
Sine die → No date fixed for next sitting
| Term | Meaning | Authority | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adjournment | Suspension of sitting | Presiding officer | Sitting temporarily ends |
| Adjournment sine die | Sitting ends without fixing next date | Presiding officer | No next sitting date fixed |
| Prorogation | Session ends | President | Session terminated |
| Dissolution | Lok Sabha ends | President | House ceases to exist |
The Constitution does not formally name or prescribe a fixed number of sessions.
In parliamentary practice, Parliament generally meets in:
Usually:
February–May
Usually:
July–August
Usually:
November–December
These are conventions and parliamentary practice rather than a constitutional requirement.
The Budget Session is generally the longest session.
Important parliamentary financial business includes:
The Monsoon Session is generally held around:
July–August
It provides an important period for:
The Winter Session is generally held around:
November–December
It provides another opportunity for:
The President addresses both Houses of Parliament:
and:
This is provided under:
Article 87
When the President addresses both Houses together, the members of:
Lok Sabha + Rajya Sabha
assemble together.
This is different from a:
Joint Sitting for legislative deadlock
under Article 108.
President's Address ≠ Joint Sitting under Article 108
The President has constitutional powers relating to:
Calls Parliament into session
Ends a session
Ends Lok Sabha
The President cannot dissolve:
Rajya Sabha
because it is a permanent House.
No.
Prorogation only ends:
The session
The House continues to exist.
Session 1:
Prorogued
↓
New session:
Summoned
The same House continues.
No.
Adjournment only suspends:
A sitting
The session continues.
No.
Rajya Sabha is:
Permanent
Only individual members retire periodically.
The effect of prorogation and dissolution on pending Bills differs.
Generally:
Bills do not lapse merely because Parliament is prorogued.
Certain Bills pending before Lok Sabha or pending in specified circumstances may:
Lapse
The exact rules depend on where the Bill is pending.
Certain Bills do not lapse merely because Lok Sabha is dissolved.
For example:
A Bill pending in Rajya Sabha but not passed by Lok Sabha
does not lapse merely because Lok Sabha is dissolved.
The rules of lapsing depend on:
The stage and House in which the Bill is pending.
This topic is studied in greater detail under:
Legislative Procedure
A:
Recess
is the period between:
Two parliamentary sessions
It is different from:
Adjournment
which is a break within a session.
A period between:
Summoning and prorogation
An individual meeting of a House during a session.
Therefore:
Session
↓
Multiple Sittings
↓
Prorogation
↓
Session Ends
| Article | Subject |
|---|---|
| Article 83 | Duration of Houses |
| Article 85 | Sessions, prorogation and dissolution |
| Article 87 | Special address by President |
| Article 108 | Joint sitting |
| Article 352 | National Emergency |
Rajya Sabha → Permanent House
Rajya Sabha member → 6-year term
1/3 Rajya Sabha members → Retire every 2 years
Lok Sabha → Normal 5-year term
President → Summons Parliament
President → Prorogues Parliament
President → Dissolves Lok Sabha
Six-month rule → Maximum gap between sessions
Article 85 → Sessions
Article 83 → Duration
Article 87 → President's Special Address
Article 352 → Emergency
"Rajya Sabha is dissolved every five years."
False
Rajya Sabha is:
Permanent
"Individual Rajya Sabha members have a permanent tenure."
False
Each member normally serves:
6 years
"The Constitution requires three sessions of Parliament every year."
False
The Constitution only requires that:
Six months must not intervene between sessions.
"Adjournment and prorogation are the same."
False
Adjournment → Sitting suspended
Prorogation → Session ends
"Prorogation dissolves Lok Sabha."
False
Prorogation ends:
The session
not the House.
"President can dissolve Rajya Sabha."
False
Rajya Sabha is:
Permanent
"Lok Sabha's term can be extended indefinitely during Emergency."
False
It can be extended:
One year at a time
and not beyond:
Six months after Emergency ends
"Adjournment sine die means dissolution."
False
It means:
Sitting ends without fixing a date for the next sitting.
Rajya Sabha
→ Permanent
→ Members: 6 years
→ 1/3 retire every 2 years
Lok Sabha
→ 5 years
→ Can be dissolved
→ Emergency extension: 1 year at a time
→ Maximum 6 months after Emergency ends
Article 85
→ Summoning
→ Prorogation
→ Dissolution
Adjournment
→ Sitting ends temporarily
Prorogation
→ Session ends
Dissolution
→ Lok Sabha ends
The constitutional provisions concerning duration and sessions balance:
Continuity + Accountability + Democratic functioning
Rajya Sabha ensures institutional continuity as a permanent House, while Lok Sabha provides direct democratic accountability through its limited tenure and possibility of dissolution.
Regular sessions ensure that the executive remains subject to:
The six-month constitutional limit therefore helps prevent prolonged absence of parliamentary scrutiny.
Thus:
Regular Parliament + Limited Executive Discretion + Continuous Accountability
are essential to India's parliamentary democracy.