Quorum in the Indian Parliament refers to the minimum number of members required to be present in the house for its proceedings to be valid. It is a fundamental requirement to ensure that decisions and discussions in the Parliament have a reasonable level of participation. Quorum is essential to maintain the legitimacy of the proceedings and to prevent a small group of members from making decisions on behalf of the entire body.
The quorum for both houses of the Indian Parliament, the Lok Sabha (House of the People) and the Rajya Sabha (Council of States), is mentioned in the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, respectively.
- Lok Sabha (House of the People):
- The quorum for a sitting of the Lok Sabha is one-tenth of the total strength of the house, excluding the Speaker. In other words, if the total strength of the Lok Sabha is 545 (including the Speaker), the quorum would be 55 members.
- Rajya Sabha (Council of States):
- The quorum for a sitting of the Rajya Sabha is one-tenth of the total strength of the house, including the Chairman. For example, if the total strength of the Rajya Sabha is 245 (including the Chairman), the quorum would be 25 members.
If, at any time during a sitting of the Parliament, the quorum is not met, the presiding officer (Speaker in the Lok Sabha, Chairman in the Rajya Sabha) may either adjourn the house or suspend the proceedings until there is a quorum. The business conducted in the absence of quorum is not considered valid.
