How a bill becomes law in India, and where it usually dies

If the Lok Sabha passes a bill, has it become law? The answer depends on what kind of bill it is and which steps remain. A bill is a proposal for a law. Under Article 79, Parliament comprises the President, the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. Passage through the Houses and the President's assent are separate steps.

An ordinary bill begins with three readings

Article 107(1) allows an ordinary bill to start in either House. Parliamentary procedure sets out the reading stages. Article 118(1) allows each House to make rules subject to the Constitution. The Lok Sabha Secretariat's explanation sets out first, second and third readings in each House.

The first reading usually involves asking the House's permission to introduce the bill. Introduction puts the proposal before the House. Members have yet to approve it as law.

At the second reading, members discuss the bill's principles, then consider it clause by clause. The House may refer it to a Select Committee, or to a Joint Committee with the other House's agreement. It may also seek public opinion or proceed to consideration. A committee can hear evidence from affected groups and experts, then report to the House. The House can choose whether to refer the bill to a committee.

At the third reading, members decide whether to pass the bill as a whole. Only formal, verbal or consequential amendments are allowed at this stage. Members examine individual clauses at the earlier stage.

Both Houses must agree on the text

After passage in one House, an ordinary bill goes to the other for similar stages. Laying the bill on the receiving House's Table counts as its first reading there. Article 107(2) requires agreement by both Houses on the same text, including amendments, subject to the joint-sitting and Money Bill exceptions.

The usual voting rule comes from Article 100(1): a majority of members present and voting, rather than of the House's total membership. The presiding officer votes only to break a tie.

When a joint sitting is possible

Article 108 offers a way to resolve certain deadlocks. The President may notify an intention to summon a joint sitting if the receiving House rejects the bill, the Houses finally disagree about amendments, or more than six months pass after receipt without that House passing it. The bill must not have already lapsed because the Lok Sabha was dissolved.

The clock starts with receipt by the other House, not introduction in the first. Periods when the receiving House is prorogued or adjourned for more than four consecutive days are excluded from the calculation. Passing that time limit does not automatically trigger a joint sitting.

At a joint sitting, a majority of the combined members present and voting decides the question. Under Article 118(4), the Lok Sabha Speaker presides. If the Speaker is absent, the applicable rules determine who presides. A joint sitting decides on the bill; a Joint Committee examines it. Joint sittings cannot resolve deadlocks on Money Bills or Constitution Amendment Bills under Article 368.

Money Bills give Lok Sabha the deciding role

Article 110 defines a Money Bill by a list of matters. It must contain only provisions on the listed matters, or matters incidental to them. These include taxation, Union borrowing and appropriations from the Consolidated Fund. A proposal that costs money must still meet that definition. Under Article 110(2), imposing fines, licence fees or service fees alone does not make a bill a Money Bill.

Under Article 110(3), the Lok Sabha Speaker decides whether a bill is a Money Bill. Article 110(4) requires the Speaker's signed certificate when it goes to Rajya Sabha and to the President.

Article 109 requires a Money Bill to start in Lok Sabha. Article 117(1) requires the President's recommendation before introduction for provisions dealing with Article 110(1)(a) to (f). That recommendation comes before introduction; assent follows parliamentary passage.

Once Lok Sabha passes it, Rajya Sabha receives it for recommendations and has 14 days from receipt to return it. Lok Sabha may accept or reject any or all recommendations. The bill is deemed passed by both Houses with the recommendations Lok Sabha accepts, or in Lok Sabha's original form if it accepts none. If Rajya Sabha does not return it within 14 days, it is deemed passed in Lok Sabha's form. Presidential assent is still required.

Other Financial Bills follow different rules

Some Financial Bills combine specified financial matters with other provisions. Article 117(1) also covers these bills. They require presidential recommendation for introduction and must begin in Lok Sabha. Both Houses must agree under Article 107, subject to the joint-sitting route in Article 108. They do not get the Money Bill's 14-day route.

Article 117(3) separately covers bills involving expenditure from the Consolidated Fund. Before either House passes such a bill, the President must recommend its consideration to that House. This clause alone does not require introduction in Lok Sabha. Check the category to understand which rules apply.

Amending the Constitution needs wider agreement

Under Article 368(2), a Constitution Amendment Bill may begin in either House. Each House must pass it separately, meeting both thresholds: more than half the House's total membership and at least two-thirds of its members present and voting.

Some amendments also require ratification by at least half the State Legislatures before presentation for presidential assent. Article 368 specifies which changes require this, including changes to any Seventh Schedule list, States' representation in Parliament, or Article 368 itself. Only the specified changes need State ratification, and agreement by at least half the State Legislatures is enough.

Some laws can change constitutional text through another route. Article 4 permits consequential changes to the First and Fourth Schedules through laws under Articles 2 and 3, and excludes those laws from Article 368's amendment procedure.

The President's assent is a separate step

For bills governed by Article 111, the President may assent or withhold assent. A non-Money Bill may also be returned, as soon as possible after it is presented, with a message asking the Houses to reconsider it, particular provisions or suggested amendments. If the Houses pass it again, with or without amendment, and present it for assent, the President must not withhold assent.

A Money Bill cannot be returned for reconsideration under Article 111, although the President may assent or withhold assent. Constitution Amendment Bills have a different rule: once the Article 368 procedure is complete, including State ratification where necessary, the President must give assent.

How to follow a bill in practice

When you read that a bill has been passed, check its category and which House has acted. Has the required parliamentary agreement been reached? Has the President given assent? These questions help you tell introduction, passage and completion of the process apart. They also show where scrutiny, amendments or further agreement remain possible.

To practise examining policy proposals, One Young India's Model NITI Aayog offers a policy simulation involving policy analysis, research and moderated debate.