Devices of Parliamentary Proceedings in India, Importance, Key Details

The devices of parliamentary proceedings are the key instruments by which India’s supreme legislative bodies namely Parliament and State legislature conduct their business. Understanding these devices is important to understand how lawmaking and legislative accountability work in India. In this article, we are going to cover the meaning of parliament proceedings, its classification and its uses and importance in these devices.

Devices of Parliamentary Proceedings 

Devices of Parliamentary Proceedings are procedural mechanisms, formal tools and practices used in legislatures to manage debates, discussions and decisions. These tools are indispensable to maintain order, enable smooth conduct of business, ensure government accountability and address issues of public importance effectively.

Devices of Parliamentary Proceedings in India 

The Parliament of India has implemented many devices in order to ensure smooth functioning of parliamentary functions. These devices are:

Question Hour

• Question Hour is the time allocated for Members of Parliament (MPs) to pose questions to ministers on issues of public interest.
• It takes place during the first hour of every sitting of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
• Questions are classified as:
  • Starred Questions: Require oral replies and allow supplementary questions; printed in green.
  • Unstarred Questions: Need written replies only, with no supplementary allowed; printed in white.
  • Short Notice Questions: Can be asked with less than 10 days’ notice and are orally answered; printed in light pink.
  • Questions to Private Members: Directed at non-ministers on issues concerning them; printed in yellow.

Zero Hour

• Zero Hour begins immediately after Question Hour and continues till the listed business of the House starts.
• It allows MPs to raise urgent matters without prior notice.
• It is an informal innovation unique to India, not mentioned in the official Rules of Procedure.

Motions

A motion is a formal proposal by a legislator to initiate debate on an issue of public significance. No discussion occurs unless the presiding officer admits it. Motions can be:

• Substantive Motion: Independent proposals on major issues like impeachment of the President.
• Substitute Motion: Suggests alternatives, replacing the original motion if adopted.
• Subsidiary Motion: Dependent on another motion; includes:
  • Ancillary Motion: Routine business procedure.
  • Superseding Motion: Supersedes ongoing debate.
  • Amendment Motion: Seeks to alter part of the original motion.

Special Types of Motions

• Closure Motion: Ends debate and brings the issue to vote. It has four types:
  • Simple Closure: Calls for immediate voting.
  • Closure by Compartments: Groups clauses for collective voting.
  • Kangaroo Closure: Skips some clauses for faster voting.
  • Guillotine Closure: Undiscussed clauses put to vote due to lack of time.

• Privilege Motion: Raised when a member feels ministerial misconduct or breach of House privilege.
• Calling Attention Motion: Indian device enabling MPs to draw ministerial attention to urgent public matters.
• Adjournment Motion: Suspends normal business to discuss urgent public issues, requiring 50 MPs’ support; carries an element of censure and is not permitted in Rajya Sabha.
• No-Confidence Motion: Expresses loss of majority support in Lok Sabha. If passed, the Council of Ministers must resign.
• Censure Motion: Disapproves specific government policies or actions. Unlike no-confidence, it need not force resignation.
• Motion of Thanks: Moved after the President’s address to Parliament; must be passed or else the government is considered defeated.
• No-Day-Yet-Named Motion: Admitted by the Speaker but scheduled later for discussion.

Other Devices

• Point of Order: Raised if proceedings violate established rules; halts business temporarily.
• Half-an-Hour Discussion: Provides clarification on debated issues of factual importance.
• Short Duration Discussion: Also called Two-Hour Discussion, taken up on urgent public issues.
• Special Mention (Rajya Sabha) & Rule 377 (Lok Sabha): Devices for raising matters not covered by other rules.
• Resolutions: Formal statements highlighting issues of public concern. They may be:
  • Private Members’ Resolution (raised by MPs other than ministers).
  • Government Resolution (moved by ministers).
  • Statutory Resolution (based on constitutional/legislative provisions).

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Devices of Parliamentary Proceedings Importance

The use of these devices ensures:

• Debate & Deliberation: Platforms to discuss issues and shape laws.
• Decision-Making: Formal approval or rejection of proposals.
• Accountability: Ministers answerable for policies and actions.
• Representation: MPs voice concerns of citizens in legislatures.
• Transparency: Questions and motions expose government functioning.
• Consensus Building: Encourages democratic dialogue.
• Good Governance: Ensures checks, balances, and responsive policies.
• Empowerment of Citizens: Their interests are articulated through elected representatives.