Unit 2 of Constitutional Law – II (syllabus: Module II — unicameral and bicameral legislatures; composition, powers and functions of the Union and State legislatures; qualifications, disqualifications and privileges; President and Vice-President; Union and State Councils of Ministers; Governor). Below: what the unit covers, the provisions it turns on, and the cases an examiner expects you to name.
What this unit covers
- Whose satisfaction is it when the Constitution says the President or the Governor is satisfied?
- When may a Governor act in his own discretion against the advice of his Ministers?
- May a person who is not a member of a House be appointed a Minister or Chief Minister?
- When is a member disqualified for defection, and who decides?
- May a House expel a member, and may a court examine the privilege claimed?
- What is a Money Bill, and how does the upper House deal with it?
- How is a deadlock between the two Houses resolved at the Union and in a State?
- On what conditions may an Ordinance be promulgated, and what happens if it is re-promulgated?
Treat that list as a self-test: recite each topic's rule from memory before you open its cases.
Provisions
- Constitution of India, s. 74, 77, 163, 166
- Constitution of India, s. 163
- Constitution of India, s. 75, 164
- Constitution of India, s. 102(2), 191(2) and Tenth Schedule
- Constitution of India, s. 105, 194, 122, 212
- Constitution of India, s. 109, 110, 117, 198, 199
- Constitution of India, s. 108, 197
- Constitution of India, s. 123, 213
Leading cases
- Samsher Singh v State of Punjab
- M. P. Special Police Establishment v State of M. P.
- B. R. Kapur v State of Tamil Nadu
- Kihoto Hollohan v Zachillhu
- Raja Ram Pal v Hon'ble Speaker
- Constitution of India
- Krishna Kumar Singh v State of Bihar
Full case summaries
- Raja Ram Pal v Hon'ble Speaker, Lok Sabha (2007)
- B. R. Kapur v State of Tamil Nadu (2001)
- Krishna Kumar Singh v State of Bihar (2017)
- Rameshwar Prasad v Union of India (2006)