Constitutions and Law

Article 84 of the Constitution specifically outlines the qualifications for membership of Parliament. It specifies requirements like citizenship, age (25 for Lok Sabha, 30 for Rajya Sabha), and other conditions. Article 88 deals with rights of ministers, while 89 relates to the Speaker's role.

Article 86(2) of the Constitution specifically empowers the President to address and send messages to either House of Parliament. This is distinct from the special address under Article 87. Article 86 allows the President to communicate with Parliament at any time, not just during the mandatory address at the beginning of the first session after general elections.

Article 87(1) mandates that the President shall address both Houses of Parliament assembled together at the beginning of the first session after each general election and also at the beginning of the first session each year. This is known as the special address outlining the government's policy. It's a constitutional requirement different from the routine address power under Article 86.

The Supreme Court in 'Rao vs. Indira Gandhi (1971)' established that the President's powers to summon, prorogue, or dissolve Houses of Parliament must be exercised on the advice of the Council of Ministers. Acting without such advice would be unconstitutional. This judgment reinforced the constitutional convention of presidential powers being exercised on ministerial advice, making the President a constitutional head.

Article 89 of the Constitution of India specifically deals with the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. It outlines their election process, removal, and other procedural matters. Articles 90, 93, and 94 deal with other parliamentary offices like the Speaker and Deputy Chairman of state legislatures.

The 11^th Schedule of the Constitution of India contains powers, authorities and responsibilities of Panchayat endowed to it by Parliament.

The Constitution of India was originally drafted in English and enacted in 1949. While it has been translated into Hindi and other regional languages, the authoritative original text was in English. The English version remains the primary legal reference.

Article 394A states that the Hindi translation of the Constitution, as adopted by Parliament, is the authoritative text. This means the Hindi version has legal authority equal to the English original for all official purposes.

The Constitution was signed by Constituent Assembly members in both Hindi and English on January 21, 1950. Both versions were authenticated simultaneously, reflecting India's linguistic diversity from the outset.

Article 343(1) of the Constitution declares Hindi in Devanagari script as the official language of the Union. However, it also allows continued use of English for official purposes for 15 years initially, which has been extended.

Article 356 is the emergency provision for 'failure of constitutional machinery' in a state. It allows President's Rule if the state cannot function per the Constitution - commonly known as President's Rule.

Article 394 contains the short title clause stating 'This Constitution may be called the Constitution of India.' It appears near the end of the Constitution and deals with its commencement and title.

Both S.R. Bommai (1994) and State of Rajasthan (1977) judgments established that the Union Government cannot dismiss a state government solely because the ruling party lost the Lok Sabha election. This prevents political misuse of Article 356.

Article 246 provides the framework for distributing legislative powers through the Union List, State List, and Concurrent List. It defines the subjects on which Parliament and State Legislatures can make laws.