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Article 79

Constitution of Parliament

Article 79 - Constitution of Parliament

What is Article 79?

Article 79 is the first provision in Chapter II of Part V of the Indian Constitution dealing with Parliament. It establishes the constitutional structure of Parliament for the Union. According to Article 79, Parliament consists of three constitutional components: the President, the Council of States and the House of the People. The Council of States is commonly known as the Rajya Sabha, while the House of the People is commonly known as the Lok Sabha. Article 79 is therefore important because it defines the constitutional composition of the Union Parliament. It does not by itself describe the detailed composition, membership, elections or functioning of each House. Those matters are addressed by subsequent constitutional provisions and laws. Article 80 deals with the composition of the Council of States. Article 81 deals with the composition of the House of the People. Other provisions in Part V deal with matters such as the duration of Houses, qualifications and disqualifications of members, parliamentary privileges, legislative procedure and other aspects of Parliament. The President is included as a component of Parliament under Article 79. This does not mean that the President is a member of either House. Rather, Article 79 constitutionally identifies the President together with the two Houses as constituting the Parliament of the Union. The two Houses have different constitutional roles and structures. The Rajya Sabha represents the States and Union territories within the constitutional framework, while the Lok Sabha is the House of the People. Their detailed composition and representation are provided in Articles 80 and 81. Article 79 therefore provides the basic constitutional foundation for understanding the Parliament of India and how the Union legislature is constitutionally organised.

This content is a sample educational structure. Please verify all constitutional text against an authoritative source before relying on it.

Official Constitutional Text

Constitution of Parliament.—There shall be a Parliament for the Union which shall consist of the President and two Houses to be known respectively as the Council of States and the House of the People.

Article 79 Explained in Simple Words

Article 79 is the first provision in Chapter II of Part V of the Indian Constitution dealing with Parliament. It establishes the constitutional structure of Parliament for the Union. According to Article 79, Parliament consists of three constitutional components: the President, the Council of States and the House of the People. The Council of States is commonly known as the Rajya Sabha, while the House of the People is commonly known as the Lok Sabha. Article 79 is therefore important because it defines the constitutional composition of the Union Parliament. It does not by itself describe the detailed composition, membership, elections or functioning of each House. Those matters are addressed by subsequent constitutional provisions and laws. Article 80 deals with the composition of the Council of States. Article 81 deals with the composition of the House of the People. Other provisions in Part V deal with matters such as the duration of Houses, qualifications and disqualifications of members, parliamentary privileges, legislative procedure and other aspects of Parliament. The President is included as a component of Parliament under Article 79. This does not mean that the President is a member of either House. Rather, Article 79 constitutionally identifies the President together with the two Houses as constituting the Parliament of the Union. The two Houses have different constitutional roles and structures. The Rajya Sabha represents the States and Union territories within the constitutional framework, while the Lok Sabha is the House of the People. Their detailed composition and representation are provided in Articles 80 and 81. Article 79 therefore provides the basic constitutional foundation for understanding the Parliament of India and how the Union legislature is constitutionally organised.

Article 79 in Simple Words

Article 79 defines the constitutional structure of the Parliament of India. It provides that the Parliament of the Union consists of the President, the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) and the House of the People (Lok Sabha).

Article 79 Example

Suppose we want to understand what constitutes the Parliament of India at the constitutional level. Article 79 provides the starting point: Parliament consists of the President and two Houses. The first House is the Council of States, commonly called the Rajya Sabha. The second is the House of the People, commonly called the Lok Sabha. For example, when studying how the Rajya Sabha is constituted, Article 80 provides the relevant constitutional details. When studying the composition of the Lok Sabha, Article 81 provides the relevant provision. Therefore, Article 79 gives the basic constitutional structure, while subsequent provisions provide more detailed rules concerning the two Houses and parliamentary functioning.

What is Article 79 of the Indian Constitution?

Article 79 defines the constitutional structure of the Parliament of India. It provides that the Parliament for the Union consists of the President and two Houses known as the Council of States and the House of the People.

What does Article 79 say?

Article 79 states that there shall be a Parliament for the Union consisting of the President and two Houses. These Houses are constitutionally known as the Council of States and the House of the People.

Which Part contains Article 79?

Article 79 is contained in Part V of the Constitution, which deals with the Union. It appears in Chapter II, which deals with Parliament.

What are the three components of Parliament?

Under Article 79, Parliament consists of the President, the Council of States and the House of the People. The Council of States is commonly known as the Rajya Sabha and the House of the People as the Lok Sabha.

Is the President part of Parliament under Article 79?

Yes. Article 79 expressly includes the President as a component of the Parliament of the Union. This constitutional inclusion does not mean that the President is a member of either House.

What is the Council of States?

The Council of States is the constitutional name of the Rajya Sabha. Its detailed composition is provided under Article 80 of the Constitution.

What is the House of the People?

The House of the People is the constitutional name of the Lok Sabha. Its composition is dealt with under Article 81 of the Constitution.

Article 79 and Rajya Sabha

Article 79 identifies the Council of States as one of the two Houses of Parliament. Article 80 provides the detailed constitutional provisions concerning its composition.

Article 79 and Lok Sabha

Article 79 identifies the House of the People as the second House of Parliament. Article 81 provides the detailed constitutional provision concerning its composition.

Article 79 and Article 80

Article 79 establishes the basic constitutional structure of Parliament, while Article 80 deals with the composition of the Council of States. Reading these provisions together helps explain the constitutional structure of Parliament.

Article 79 and Article 81

Article 79 establishes Parliament as consisting of the President and two Houses. Article 81 deals specifically with the composition of the House of the People.

Does Article 79 explain how Parliament functions?

Article 79 primarily establishes the constitutional composition of Parliament. Detailed provisions concerning membership, qualifications, privileges, legislative procedure and other parliamentary matters are contained in subsequent constitutional provisions and laws.

Why is Article 79 important?

Article 79 is important because it provides the constitutional starting point for understanding the Parliament of India. It identifies the President, Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha as the components of the Union Parliament.

Article 79 in simple words

In simple words, Article 79 tells us what constitutes the Parliament of India. The Parliament of the Union consists of the President, Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha.

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Source: Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India