Lapsing of Bills on Dissolution of Lok Sabha

Bills lapsing dissolution describes the constitutional rule that certain categories of pending legislation automatically cease to exist the moment the Lok Sabha is dissolved, rather than carrying over into the next Lok Sabha. Dissolution ends the life of the House itself under Article 85, and this has direct consequences for legislative business — including bills, motions, and even parliamentary committees — that was still in progress when the House came to an end. Article 111, together with established parliamentary practice, sets out precisely which pending bills lapse and which survive the change of House.

Dissolution of the Lok Sabha

Article 85 empowers the President to dissolve the Lok Sabha. Ordinarily, this is done on the advice of the Council of Ministers, save in exceptional circumstances where the President may have to exercise independent judgment — for instance, where no party or coalition commands a clear majority and alternative options for government formation have been exhausted. Dissolution is different from prorogation: prorogation ends a session while the House continues to exist, whereas dissolution ends the House itself, requiring fresh general elections to constitute a new Lok Sabha.

Which Bills Lapse on Dissolution

Because dissolution terminates the Lok Sabha as a body, any legislative business pending before it that depends on that specific House cannot simply continue before its successor. The lapsing rules cover three situations:

Situation	Effect on Dissolution
A bill pending in the Lok Sabha (introduced but not yet passed)	Lapses
A bill passed by the Lok Sabha but still pending in the Rajya Sabha	Lapses
A bill on which the President has notified an intention to summon a joint sitting of both Houses	Lapses

In each of these situations, the bill must be introduced afresh in the newly constituted Lok Sabha if the government wishes to revive it; none of the earlier legislative work automatically carries forward.

Money Bills and the Role of the Rajya Sabha

The lapsing rules interact with the special procedure for money bills. A money bill can be introduced only in the Lok Sabha. Once passed there and transmitted to the Rajya Sabha, the upper House cannot reject it — it may only recommend changes, which the Lok Sabha is free to accept or reject. If the Rajya Sabha does not return the bill within fourteen days, it is deemed to have been passed by both Houses in the form in which the Lok Sabha passed it. Because a money bill's fate is ultimately tied to Lok Sabha action, a money bill still awaiting the Rajya Sabha's response at the time of dissolution falls within the second lapsing situation above.

Impact on Parliamentary Committees

Dissolution does not affect only bills. The Departmentally Related Standing Committees (DRSCs) — of which there are 24 in total, eight serviced by the Rajya Sabha Secretariat and sixteen by the Lok Sabha Secretariat — are constituted afresh after every general election to the Lok Sabha and stand dissolved when the Lok Sabha is dissolved. These committees, which examine bills referred to them, scrutinise demands for grants, and review annual reports and policy documents of ministries, have to be reconstituted once a new Lok Sabha is formed, mirroring the same underlying logic that governs the lapsing of bills: business tied to the life of a particular Lok Sabha does not automatically continue into the next one.

UPSC Relevance

Prelims

Distinguish dissolution (Article 85) from prorogation and adjournment.
Know the three categories of bills that lapse on dissolution of the Lok Sabha under Article 111.
Remember that a bill pending only before the Rajya Sabha (not yet taken up or passed by the Lok Sabha) does not lapse, since the Rajya Sabha is a continuing chamber.

Mains

Discuss how the concept of dissolution and lapsing of bills reflects the constitutional distinction between the Lok Sabha as a body with a fixed term and the Rajya Sabha as a permanent chamber.
Evaluate the practical legislative disruption caused by frequent lapsing of bills and pending committee business at the end of a Lok Sabha's term.

FAQ

Q1. What happens to a bill pending in the Rajya Sabha alone when the Lok Sabha is dissolved? A bill that has not yet been passed by or transmitted from the Lok Sabha, and is pending consideration only before the Rajya Sabha, is not covered by the lapsing situations tied to Lok Sabha dissolution in the same way as a bill that has already left the Lok Sabha.

Q2. Does dissolution of the Lok Sabha lapse a bill already passed by both Houses and awaiting the President's assent? The lapsing rules under discussion apply to bills still pending in the legislative process at the time of dissolution, not to bills that have completed passage through both Houses.

Q3. What is the difference between dissolution and prorogation? Prorogation ends a session while the House continues to exist for its full term; dissolution, under Article 85, ends the Lok Sabha itself and necessitates general elections to constitute a new House.

Q4. Do parliamentary committees survive dissolution of the Lok Sabha? No. Departmentally Related Standing Committees stand dissolved upon dissolution of the Lok Sabha and are reconstituted after a new Lok Sabha is formed.

Quick Revision

Article 85: President dissolves Lok Sabha, ordinarily on Council of Ministers' advice.
Article 111 lapsing rule 1: bill pending in Lok Sabha lapses on dissolution.
Article 111 lapsing rule 2: bill passed by Lok Sabha but pending in Rajya Sabha lapses on Lok Sabha dissolution.
Article 111 lapsing rule 3: bill on which joint sitting has been notified lapses on Lok Sabha dissolution.
Money bills: introduced only in Lok Sabha; Rajya Sabha cannot reject, only recommend; 14-day deemed-passed rule.
DRSCs (24 total: 16 Lok Sabha, 8 Rajya Sabha) stand dissolved with the Lok Sabha and are reconstituted afresh.

Sources

Constitution of India, Article 85 and Article 111 — legislative.gov.in
Constitution of India, Article 109 (Special procedure in respect of Money Bills) — legislative.gov.in
Rajya Sabha Secretariat, Committee System in Rajya Sabha — rajyasabha.nic.in

Further Reference

For deeper reading on this topic and the wider polity syllabus, these standard works are recommended:

M. Laxmikanth, Indian Polity (McGraw Hill) — the standard UPSC handbook.
D.D. Basu, Introduction to the Constitution of India (LexisNexis) — authoritative constitutional-law treatment.
The Constitution of India — Bare Act — the official text.

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