Special Session Of Parliament: How Is It Convened?

The five-day special session of Parliament began on Monday amidst speculation of an unexpected move by the central government.

On August 31, Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Pralhad Joshi had announced a ‘special session’ of Parliament from September 18-22 to discuss ‘important items’.

While the Constitution does not contain explicit provisions for special sessions, there have been a few instances in the past where such sessions were convened. The most recent case occurred in June 2017 when the Goods and Services Tax was introduced.

Article 85 of the Constitution, which deals with proceedings of Parliament, reads, “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.”

Typically, there are three sessions held each calendar year — the Budget, Monsoon, and Winter sessions.

The Central government has the authority to call for a session, following which the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs, determines the date and number of sittings.

After finalising the session schedule, the President calls upon the Members of Parliament to convene for the upcoming session. The MPs are informed about the number of sittings and other details through the summons sent by the President.

Before this, special sessions were convened in August 1972 to mark 25 years of Independence, in 1992 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Quit India Movement and in August 1997 to commemorate 50 years of Independence.

It was also held in 1962 during the India-China war and in February 1977 to extend the President’s rule in Tamil Nadu and Nagaland.