Glossary of Indian Polity and Constitution

▸ Address of President The President of India addresses to both Houses of Parliament assembled together at the commencement of the first session after each general election to Lok Sabha and at the commencement of the first session of each year.
▸ Adjournment of House The Speaker of the Lok Sabha determines, when the sitting of the House is to be adjourned since die or to a particular day or to an hour or part of the same day. In the Rajya Sabha, Chairman decides when Rajya Sabha needs to be adjourned.
▸ Breach of Privileges If a person disregards the privileges, rights and immunities of the Members of Parliament, then he commits breach of privileges.
▸ Closure It is the Parlimentary procedure, by which debate is closed and the measure under discussion brought up for an immediate vote.
▸ Contempt of Court It is disobedience to or disregard of the rules, orders, process or dignity of a court , which has power to punish such offence committed.
▸ Caretaker Government It is the government in the interregnum, which comes into existence as soon as the Council of Ministers resigns or loses confidence, or the Prime Minister dies. It lasts till the next Council of Ministers is formed. It is a constitutional necessity under Article 74.
▸ Delegated Legislation The Parliament gives the Executive the Power to make rules and regulations regarding an act of the Parliament. Such rules are called delegated legislation.
▸ Dissolution Under Article 85, the President of India dissolves the House of the people as per the procedure fixed by the Constitution. The dissolution ends the very life of the existing House and fresh election is essential to form a new House.
▸ Electoral Roll It is commonly known as voter's list. It gives the names of all those people, who are eligible to vote.
▸ Extradition It is the surrender by a foreign state of a person accused of a crime to the state, where it was committed.
▸ Floor Crossing It refers to the defection of a Member of Parliament from the party he was elected, to another political party.
▸ Hung Parliament When in a general election, no political party or coalition of the political parties is in a position to form a majority government, such a Parliament is called a Hung Parliament.
▸ Locus Standi It means on what grounds can a person file a case. Earlier a person, who did not have locus standi, could not file a case on behalf of aggrieved person on his own. Later when the concept of Public Interest Litigation (PIL) started, locus standi was waived and any citizen could file a PIL and bring to court's notice, violation of rights of people.
▸ Point of Order It is an extra-ordinary process, which when raised, has the effect of suspending the business before the house and the member, who is on his legs gives way. This is meant to assist the Presiding Officer in enforcing the Rules, Directions and Provisions of the Constitution for regulating the business of the House.
▸ Rule of Law The rule of law theory was given by English jurist Dicey. It has three meanings. (a) absolute supremacy of law (b) equality before law (c) Consitution is the result of the ordinary law of the land.
▸ Subordinate Legislation The rules and regulations made by the government within the purview of the authority delegated by the Legislature are called Subordinate Legislation. It is the same as Delegated Legislation.
▸ Untouchability It means social disabilities historically imposed on certain classes of people by reason of their birth in certain castes.
▸ Vote on Account It is an estimate of an advance payment to enable government departments to carry on their work from the beginning of financial year till the passing of the Appropriation Act.
▸ Vote of Credit The Lok Sabha can grant vote of credit to meet an expenditure whose amount or details cannot be precisely stated on account of magnitude or the indefinite character of service.