The special parliament session is all set to commence on Monday, 18th September in the new Parliament building (Central Vista). There are so many intense speculations on the issues, the government will bring it to the table in this five-day discussion and surprise the Parliament. During this session, the government may lay down 8 agendas on the grounds for discussion. Parliament will also discuss the 75-year journey of Parliament, the achievements, experiences, memories, and learnings of Samvidhan Sabha. All the MPs from both houses will be present in the Parliament on Tuesday for a group photograph. The Government of India successfully conducted an all-party meeting on Sunday. The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs called for a Special Session on the 31st of August. 

What is a Special Session

A special session of the Parliament of India is a period when the Legislative Assembly of Parliament meets outside of its regular legislative sessions to conduct parliamentary business. The Committee of Ministers on Parliamentary Affairs decides on the convening of the session. The calendar of events of the Indian Parliament is not fixed. The Indian Parliament usually meets three times a year, with the budget session at the beginning of the calendar year, the monsoon session in the middle of the year, and the winter session at the end of the calendar year.

Constitutional Provisions

Although the Constitution does not directly mention the Special Session, Article 352 of the Urgent Ordinance refers to a special session of the Parliament. Since the current provisions do not limit the frequency of sessions of the Parliament, it allows the President of India ‘the right to summon’ parliament an unlimited number of times as needed. Although the president is responsible for issuing summons, the government, led by the prime minister, starts the session.

However, the framers of the Indian constitution insisted that there should not be a gap of six months between two consecutive sessions of Parliament. Section 85 (1) of the Constitution provides that the president must from time to time summon each Parliament to meet at such time and place as he thinks fit, but there must not be six months between the last session.