Class 8 Parliamentary System: Legislature and Executive Notes

Many students mix up Parliament, the legislature and the executive. The Class 8 Parliamentary System chapter separates them: the legislature makes laws, the executive carries them out, and the judiciary checks that both follow the Constitution. These Class 8 Parliamentary System notes follow the order of the chapter, so you can revise each idea in sequence.

What Is the Class 8 Parliamentary System?

In a parliamentary system, the executive (the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers) comes from the legislature and stays answerable to it. In India, the Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha. The people choose their representatives, and the party or coalition with a majority in the Lok Sabha forms the government.

How India Got Its Constitution

India became independent in 1947 after a long struggle against British rule. The Constituent Assembly took 2 years, 11 months and 18 days to draft the Constitution, which came into force on 26 January 1950. It gave every adult citizen the right to vote, a principle called universal adult franchise.

Universal Adult Franchise and the Voting Age

The voting age was 21 years at first. It was lowered to 18 years by the 61st Constitutional Amendment in 1988. Today every citizen aged 18 or above can vote, regardless of caste, religion, gender or economic background.

Three Organs of the Indian Parliament in the Class 8 Parliamentary System

The Parliament of India consists of three parts: the President, the Lok Sabha (House of the People) and the Rajya Sabha (Council of States). The Lok Sabha has seats for constituencies across the country. For example, Kota and Bundi together form one constituency, Kota-Bundi, in Rajasthan. A bill passed by both houses becomes an act after the President gives assent.

There have been 17 Lok Sabhas since the first in 1952, and the 18th Lok Sabha was constituted in June 2024.

Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha Compared

• Members: Lok Sabha up to 550 (543 elected seats now); Rajya Sabha up to 250 (238 elected and 12 nominated by the President).
• Election: Lok Sabha members are elected directly by voters; Rajya Sabha members are elected by the MLAs of the states.
• Term: Lok Sabha lasts 5 years unless dissolved earlier; the Rajya Sabha is a permanent house, with members serving 6 years and one-third retiring every 2 years.
• Presiding officer: the Speaker for the Lok Sabha; the Vice President, as Chairman, for the Rajya Sabha.
• Money bills: these can be introduced only in the Lok Sabha.
• Council of Ministers is answerable to: the Lok Sabha.

Why Is the Indian Parliament Bicameral?

A two-house structure is called bicameral. India’s makers felt that one directly elected house was not enough for a large and diverse country. In the spirit of federalism, the Rajya Sabha gives the states a voice at the Centre and reviews laws passed by the Lok Sabha. Federalism means power is divided between the Centre and the states, and India has three tiers of government: central, state and local.

The Rajya Sabha can suggest changes, but it cannot block a money bill. If the two houses disagree on an ordinary bill, a joint sitting can be called. Important constitutional amendments, such as those for GST (2016), the EWS reservation (2019) and women’s reservation (2023), needed a special majority in both houses.

Functions of Parliament in the Class 8 Parliamentary System

Parliament makes laws, keeps a check on the executive, and approves the budget. Each house has a presiding officer to keep debates in order.

Parliamentary Sessions

Parliament meets in three sessions a year: the Budget session, the Monsoon session and the Winter session. A mnemonic is BMW. Sittings usually run for about six hours a day, and a special session can be called when needed.

The Sengol

The Sengol is a gold-plated silver sceptre. It was handed to Jawaharlal Nehru on the night of 14 August 1947 as a symbol of the transfer of power. It is placed near the Speaker’s seat in the Lok Sabha chamber of the new Parliament building. The tradition is linked to the Chola kings, and the sceptre has a Nandi at the top, a symbol of justice.

Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles

India has six Fundamental Rights in Part III of the Constitution (Articles 12 to 35): the right to equality, freedom, protection against exploitation, freedom of religion, cultural and educational rights, and the right to constitutional remedies. The idea of a list of Fundamental Rights was borrowed from the United States.

The Directive Principles of State Policy (Part IV) are guidelines for the government to promote social and economic justice, such as better public health and education. Courts cannot enforce them, but Parliament uses them to guide lawmaking. The Constitution now has 25 parts, and 448 Articles by the commonly cited count, compared with 395 Articles when it was adopted.

How Does a Bill Become an Act in the Class 8 Parliamentary System?

A bill is a draft law. A bill, except a money bill, can start in either house. The usual steps are:

1. Introduction of the bill in a house.
2. Discussion on its main ideas, and reference to a Standing Committee if members have suggestions.
3. Clause-by-clause discussion, where amendments can be proposed.
4. Voting, for example by voice vote.
5. The same process in the second house.
6. The President’s assent.
7. Publication in the Gazette of India, after which the bill becomes an act.

Executive Accountability in the Class 8 Parliamentary System

The Prime Minister and Council of Ministers run the government and enforce laws, but they must act within the Constitution. They are answerable to the Lok Sabha.

Question Hour and Committees

Question Hour is usually the first hour of a sitting, when MPs ask ministers about policies. For example, an MP may ask how many households have tap water connections under the Jal Jeevan Mission. Parliamentary committees, with members from different parties, also question ministers and review policies.

Financial Accountability

Parliament approves the money the government spends. The Finance Minister presents the Union Budget in the Lok Sabha, usually on 1 February, and the money is then allocated to ministries. Before the budget, the Finance Ministry holds the Halwa Ceremony, a tradition of serving sweets that marks the start of the final printing of the budget documents.

Ministerial Responsibility

In 1956, Railway Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri resigned after a railway accident, accepting moral responsibility even though he was not personally blamed. The resignation was accepted by Prime Minister Nehru.

Permanent Executive

Day-to-day administration is carried out by civil servants, called the permanent executive, who work under the elected ministers.

Key Executive Authorities in the Class 8 Parliamentary System

The President

The President is the Head of State and the nominal head of the executive. The President is elected by an electoral college of elected MPs and MLAs. The President appoints the Prime Minister and summons Parliament, and gives assent to bills. When no party has a clear majority after an election, the President can use discretion in choosing the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister and Council of Ministers

The Prime Minister is the real executive authority. The President appoints the leader of the majority party or coalition in the Lok Sabha as Prime Minister. The Prime Minister heads the Council of Ministers, advises the President, coordinates ministries and frames policy. This is often described as a dual executive, with a nominal head and a real head.

Role of the Judiciary in the Class 8 Parliamentary System

The judiciary interprets and applies the law through a system of courts: the Supreme Court, the High Courts and the subordinate courts. It protects the Constitution and the Fundamental Rights of citizens. Under Article 32, a person can approach the Supreme Court, and under Article 226 the High Court, if a Fundamental Right is violated.

The courts can strike down a law that goes against the Constitution. Through Public Interest Litigation (PIL), citizens can bring public issues to court, and the courts can also take up a matter on their own, called suo motu.

Union List, State List and Concurrent List

The Constitution divides subjects between the Centre and the states:

• Union List: only Parliament makes laws, for subjects such as foreign affairs, defence, banking, currency and communication.
• State List: state legislatures make laws, for subjects such as police, agriculture, irrigation and trade within the state.
• Concurrent List: both Parliament and state legislatures can make laws, for subjects such as education, forests, marriage and adoption. If the two conflict, the central law usually prevails.

In special situations, such as a national emergency, Parliament can also make laws on State List subjects. The topic is studied in more depth in the Federalism chapter of Class 10.

Union Government vs State Government

This comparison is a favourite in the Class 8 Parliamentary System chapter.

• Head of State: President (Union) and Governor (State). The Governor is appointed by the President and holds office during the President’s pleasure, usually for 5 years.
• Real executive: Prime Minister and Council of Ministers (Union); Chief Minister and Council of Ministers (State).
• Responsible to: Lok Sabha (Union); Vidhan Sabha (State).
• Legislature: Parliament, with two houses (Union); mostly one house, the Vidhan Sabha, in the states.
• Lower house: Lok Sabha (Union); Vidhan Sabha (State). Both have a 5-year term.
• Upper house: Rajya Sabha (Union); Vidhan Parishad (State), only in some states.
• Money bills: introduced only in the Lok Sabha (Union) and only in the Vidhan Sabha (State).
• Laws on: Union List and Concurrent List (Parliament); State List and Concurrent List (State legislature).

Which States Have a Vidhan Parishad?

This is a factual point in the Class 8 Parliamentary System chapter. A state may have one house (unicameral) or two (bicameral). The Legislative Assembly is the Vidhan Sabha, and the Legislative Council is the Vidhan Parishad. Six states currently have a Vidhan Parishad: Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh.

Challenges for the Legislature and How Citizens Can Help

Two common problems are MPs missing sessions and disruptions that reduce the time for debate and Question Hour. Informed citizens can help by following debates, taking part in public consultations and voting responsibly. Students can take part through the MyGov platform and Youth Parliament programmes. Atal Bihari Vajpayee said in the Lok Sabha that governments and parties will come and go, but the country and its democracy must endure.

Key Terms in the Class 8 Parliamentary System

• Bicameral: a legislature with two houses.
• Federalism: division of power between the Centre and the states.
• Bill and Act: a bill is a draft law, and it becomes an act after the President’s assent.
• Nominal head: the President, who has ceremonial and constitutional duties.
• Real head: the Prime Minister, who leads the government in practice.
• Suo motu: when a court takes up a matter on its own.

How to Revise the Class 8 Parliamentary System Chapter

• Learn who does what: the legislature makes laws, the executive implements them and the judiciary checks them.
• Draw a flowchart of how a bill becomes an act, so you can write it step by step.
• Practise the comparison tables, such as Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, and the Union and State governments.
• Remember examples for each list: Union, State and Concurrent.

eSaral is a Kota-based learning platform that offers study material for Class 8 to 10, along with JEE and NEET preparation. Use these Class 8 Parliamentary System notes after reading the NCERT chapter to check what you remember, then attempt the textbook questions in your own words.