Parliamentary Procedure under Article 118

Article 118 of the Constitution authorises each House of Parliament to make rules regulating its procedure and conduct of business. This power gives the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha procedural autonomy, but their rules remain subject to the Constitution.

Scope of the rule-making power

• Under Article 118(1), each House may independently frame rules for its procedure and conduct of business, subject to the Constitution.
• Under Article 118(2), pre-Constitution rules and standing orders continued until new rules were made, with adaptations by the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha or the Speaker of the Lok Sabha.
• The Houses exercise this authority through their respective Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business.

Procedure for joint sittings

• Under Article 118(3), the President may, after consulting the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha and the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, make rules governing joint sittings and communications between the Houses.
• Under Article 118(4), the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, or another person determined by these rules, presides over a joint sitting.

Constitutional significance

Article 118 enables each House to organise debates, motions, voting and other business through its own rules. This autonomy is constitutionally limited because every parliamentary rule must conform to the Constitution of India.