With reference to the joint sitting of Parliament, which statement/s is/are correct?
(1) Article 109 provides for the joint sitting of both Houses in certain cases.
(2) The Speaker presides the joint

Question

With reference to the joint sitting of Parliament, which statement/s is/are correct?
(1) Article 109 provides for the joint sitting of both Houses in certain cases.
(2) The Speaker presides the joint sitting of the two Houses of Parliament.
Select the correct answer using the code given below -

UnlockIAS · Accepted Answer

Correct — D, Only 2. The joint sitting of the two Houses is provided for by Article 108, not Article 109 — so Statement 1 wrongly cites the Article (Article 109 deals with the special procedure for Money Bills). Statement 2 is correct: under Article 118(4) the Speaker of the Lok Sabha presides over a joint sitting. Hence only Statement 2 is correct.

Why the other options are wrong — (a) Statement 1 is wrong — the joint sitting is provided under Article 108, whereas Article 109 covers Money Bills; and Statement 2 (Speaker presides) is correct, so 'Only 1' is doubly wrong.  (b) Statement 1 mis-cites the Article (should be 108, not 109), so both cannot be correct.  (c) Statement 2 is correct — the Speaker of the Lok Sabha does preside over the joint sitting — so 'neither' is wrong.

Concept: A joint sitting is the constitutional mechanism to resolve a deadlock between the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha over an ordinary bill. Article 108 empowers the President to summon a joint sitting when a bill is rejected, or amendments are disagreed on, or six months pass without action by the other House. Money Bills and Constitution Amendment Bills are excluded. Under Article 118(4), the Speaker of the Lok Sabha presides.

State PCS 2023 Q134 — Polity & Governance PYQ with Answer

State PCS 2023 Q134 — Polity & Governance PYQ with Answer