84. Qualification for membership of Parliament.—A person shall not be qualified to be chosen to fill a seat in Parliament unless he—
- [1][(a) is a citizen of India, and makes and subscribes before some person authorised in that behalf by the Election Commission an oath or affirmation according to the form set out for the purpose in the Third Schedule;]
- (b) is, in the case of a seat in the Council of States, not less than thirty years of age and, in the case of a seat in the House of the People, not less than twenty-five years of age; and
- (c) possesses such other qualifications as may be prescribed in that behalf by or under any law made by Parliament.
[2][85. Sessions of Parliament, prorogation and dissolution.—(1) The President shall from time to time summon each House of Parliament to meet at such time and place as he thinks fit, but six months shall not intervene between its last sitting in one session and the date appointed for its first sitting in the next session.
(2) The President may from time to time—
- (a) prorogue the Houses or either House;
- (b) dissolve the House of the People.]
86. Right of President to address and send messages to Houses.—(1) The President may address either House of Parliament or both Houses assembled together, and for that purpose require the attendance of members.
(2) The President may send messages to either House of Parliament, whether with respect to a Bill then pending in Parliament or otherwise, and a House to which any message is so sent shall with all convenient despatch consider any matter required by the message to be taken into consideration.
87. Special address by the President.—(1) At the commencement of [3][the first session after each general election to the House of the People and at the commencement of the first session of each year] the President shall address both Houses of Parliament assembled together and inform Parliament of the causes of its summons.
(2) Provision shall be made by the rules regulating the procedure of either House for the allotment of time for discussion of the matters referred to in such address [4]***.
88. Rights of Ministers and Attorney-General as respects Houses.—Every Minister and the Attorney-General of India shall have the right to speak in, and otherwise to take part in the proceedings of, either House, any joint sitting of the Houses, and any committee of Parliament of which he may be named a member, but shall not by virtue of this article be entitled to vote.
Officers of Parliament
89. The Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Council of States.—(1) The Vice- President of India shall be ex officio Chairman of the Council of States.
(2) The Council of States shall, as soon as may be, choose a member of the Council to be Deputy Chairman thereof and, so often as the office of Deputy Chairman becomes vacant, the Council shall choose another member to be Deputy Chairman thereof.
- ↑ Subs. by the Constitution (Sixteenth Amendment) Act, 1963, s. 3 (w.e.f. 5-10-1963).
- ↑ Subs. by the Constitution (First Amendment) Act, 1951, s. 6 (w.e.f 18-6-1951).
- ↑ Subs. by ibid., s. 7, for “every session”.
- ↑ The words “and for the precedence of such discussion over other business of the House” omitted by ibid.
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