Previous Year Question
In the Parliament of India, the purpose of an adjournment motion is
to allow a discussion on a definite matter of urgent public importance
to let opposition members collect information from the Ministers
to allow a reduction of a specific amount in demand for grant
to postpone the proceedings to check the inappropriate or violent behaviour on the part of some members
Correct Answer: A
Detailed Solution
An adjournment motion seeks to suspend the normal business of the House to discuss a definite and urgent matter of public importance.
It is regarded as an extraordinary parliamentary device because its admission interrupts the pre-arranged ordinary business of the House.
Principal conditions
The matter raised through an adjournment motion must:
Be definite and factual.
Be urgent and relate to a recent occurrence.
Be of substantial public importance.
Directly or indirectly involve the responsibility of the Union Government.
Not be hypothetical, vague or general.
Not involve a question of privilege, a matter pending before a court or a matter already scheduled for discussion.
Not combine more than one unrelated issue in a single motion.
The Speaker of the Lok Sabha decides its admissibility. At least 50 members must support the motion for it to be admitted.
Available only in the Lok Sabha
An adjournment motion can be moved only in the Lok Sabha and not in the Rajya Sabha. This is because it involves an element of criticism or censure of the Government, and the Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha under Article 75(3).
The Constitution does not expressly mention an adjournment motion. Its procedure is governed by the Rules of the Lok Sabha and parliamentary conventions.
Effect of passage
An adjournment motion involves an element of censure against the Government, but its passage does not legally compel the Government to resign. In this respect, it differs from a No-Confidence Motion.
Why are the other options incorrect?
Option (b): Question Hour is the principal parliamentary device through which members obtain information from Ministers.
Option (c): A proposal to reduce an amount in a Demand for Grant is called a cut motion. Its three forms are policy cut, economy cut and token cut.
Option (d): The Speaker may adjourn a sitting because of disorderly conduct, but this is not the parliamentary device known as an ‘adjournment motion’.