Previous Year Question
Given below are two statements, one is labelled as Assertion (A) and other as Reason (R) –
Assertion (A) – The President is a part of the Parliament.
Reason (R) – A bill passed by the two Houses of the Parliament cannot become law without the assent of the President.
Select the correct answer using the code given below –
Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is not correct explanation of (A)
(A) is true but (R) is false
(A) is false but (R) is true
Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is correct explanation of (A)
Correct Answer: D
Detailed Solution
Assertion (A) is true. According to Article 79 of the Constitution, there shall be a Parliament for the Union consisting of the President and two Houses—the Council of States and the House of the People. Thus, although the President is not a member of either House, the President is constitutionally a component of Parliament.
Reason (R) is also true. Under Article 111, after a Bill has been passed by the Houses of Parliament, it is presented to the President. The President may assent to it or exercise the other options available under the Constitution. A Bill passed by Parliament acquires the status of an Act after Presidential assent.
In the case of an ordinary Bill, if it is not a Money Bill, the President may return it once to Parliament for reconsideration. If Parliament passes it again and presents it to the President, the President cannot withhold assent. This is also provided under Article 111.
An important distinction is that the President is part of Parliament, but is not a member of either House. Constitutionally, Parliament consists of the President + Rajya Sabha + Lok Sabha, while membership of the two Houses is a separate matter.