Parliament — Basic Structure

Basic Structure

The Indian Parliament is the supreme legislative body consisting of the President and two Houses - Lok Sabha (543 elected members, 5-year term) and Rajya Sabha (245 members, 6-year term with one-third retiring every two years).

Established under Articles 79-122, Parliament exercises legislative, financial, judicial, electoral, administrative, and constituent powers. Lok Sabha represents people directly while Rajya Sabha represents states, ensuring federal balance.

Key features include bicameral structure, parliamentary sovereignty within constitutional limits, committee system for detailed scrutiny, and anti-defection law to prevent political defections. Parliament meets in three annual sessions with procedures including Question Hour, debates, and voting.

Money Bills can only be introduced in Lok Sabha, giving it financial supremacy. Joint sessions resolve deadlocks between Houses. The institution faces modern challenges like disruptions and reduced sitting days but continues adapting through digital initiatives and procedural reforms.

Parliamentary privileges ensure independent functioning while judicial review maintains constitutional boundaries through the basic structure doctrine.

Important Differences

vs President of India

Aspect	This Topic	President of India
Nature of Power	Real power in legislation, finance, and executive oversight	Nominal head with ceremonial powers, acts on Cabinet advice
Election Method	Direct election (Lok Sabha) and indirect election (Rajya Sabha)	Indirect election by electoral college of Parliament and state assemblies
Term of Office	5 years (Lok Sabha), 6 years (Rajya Sabha) with rotation	5 years, eligible for re-election
Legislative Role	Makes laws, debates, amends, and passes bills	Gives assent to bills, can return for reconsideration once
Financial Powers	Complete control over budget, taxation, and expenditure	Formal assent to Money Bills, cannot withhold assent

Parliament represents the real legislative and oversight power in Indian democracy, while the President serves as the constitutional head with largely ceremonial functions. Parliament makes laws and controls finances, whereas the President provides constitutional continuity and formal approval. This reflects the parliamentary system where the executive is responsible to the legislature, not the ceremonial head.

vs Supreme Court of India

Aspect	This Topic	Supreme Court of India
Primary Function	Legislative - making laws and policies	Judicial - interpreting laws and ensuring constitutional compliance
Composition	Elected representatives from political parties	Appointed judges based on legal expertise and merit
Constitutional Amendment	Can amend Constitution subject to basic structure limitations	Cannot amend but can interpret and review amendments
Accountability	Accountable to voters through elections	Independent, accountable only to Constitution and law
Scope of Power	Limited by Constitution and basic structure doctrine	Limited by Constitution but final interpreter of constitutional provisions

Parliament and Supreme Court represent the classic separation of powers with checks and balances. Parliament's legislative supremacy is balanced by the Supreme Court's judicial review, creating a dynamic tension that preserves constitutional democracy. The basic structure doctrine ensures neither institution can completely dominate the other.

Also build Paper II skills

Dense constitutional and IR passages mirror CSAT-style comprehension and argument evaluation—build those skills in parallel. CSAT hub.

• Valid & invalid arguments
• Syllogisms
• Critical reasoning