There is always a disposition on the part of the members to use in their speeches parliamentary words and phrases. But such words and phrases are scattered over in various books on Parliamentary procedure and are not to be found in one single book and at one place. The following is the list (not exhaustive) of such expressions as are important and commonly used, and a note has been added to each expression explaining as briefly as possible its meaning and implication:-
(1) “Act”. –A Bill passed by the Vidhan Sabha and assented to by the Governor/President is called an Act.
(2) “Adjournment sine die”. –Termination of a sitting of the House without any definite date being fixed for the next sitting.
(3) “Agenda paper”. – This is equivalent to the List of Business issued under Rule 32 (1) and contains items of business to be taken up by the House in the order in which they stand in it.
(4) “Appropriation Bill”. – A Bill passed annually (or at various times of the year) providing for the withdrawal of appropriation from and out of the Consolidated Fund of the State of all moneys voted by the Vidhan Sabha and moneys charged on the Consolidated Fund of the State for the services of a financial year or a part of a financial year.
(5) “Bill”. – It is a draft of a legislative proposal which when it has passed through its various stages in the State legislature and received the assent of the Governor or the President, as the case may be, becomes an Act
(6) “Budget”. – It is the annual financial statement of the estimated receipts and expenditure of the Haryana Government in respect of a financial year.
(7) “Closure”. – It is one of the modes in which discussion on a matter before the House may be brought to an end. It is a valuable weapon in the hands of Members to bring about an end of a discussion. That is done by a Member getting up and moving: “that the question be now put”. It is for the Chair to decide whether the discussion on the proposed question has been adequate or not or whether by the termination of a discussion the Opposition would be deprived of the opportunity of expressing its views or not. By a parliamentary convention absolute discretion vests in the Chair to grant or not to grant closure and this discretion is not open to debate.
No debate is permitted on the closure motion itself nor is any discussion allowed on the time or notice of the closure motion.
(8) “Guillotine”. –It is another form of closure, but regulated either by the operation of Rules or by the decision of the House. Thus, for instance, the Rules provide that on the last day of the voting of demands for grants 1½ hours before the interruption of business, the Speaker shall forthwith put every question etc. etc. In other words, all discussion on the demand then under consideration ends 1½ hours before the hour of interruption and all questions relevant to the carrying of the demands are put from the Chair. Again, the House may decide in relation to a particular item of business what time should be given to it for discussion. As soon as that period of time comes to an end no further discussion can take place and the Chair must forthwith put the question to dispose of that matter.
(9) “Money Bill”. –It is a Bill containing only provisions dealing with all or any of the matters specified in sub-clause (a) to (g) of Article 199 of the Constitution.
(10) “Withdrawal and Suspension of Members”. –The Speaker shall preserve order and have all powers necessary for the purpose of enforcing his decision on all points of order.
The Speaker may direct any member whose conduct is, in his opinion, grossly disorderly to withdraw immediately from the House, and any member so ordered to withdraw shall do so forthwith and shall absent himself during the remainder of the days’ sittings.
The Speaker may, if he deems it necessary, name a member who disregards the authority of the Chair or abuses the Rules of the House by persistently and wilfully obstructing the business thereof.
If a member is so named by the Speaker, the Speaker shall, on a motion being made forthwith, put the question that the member (naming him) be suspended from the service of the House for a period not exceeding the remainder of the Session:
Provided that the House may, at any time, on a motion being made resolve that such suspension be terminated.
A member suspended under this Rule shall forthwith withdraw from the precinct of the House.”
Such member shall be deemed to be absent from the meetings of the Assembly for purposes of section 3 (2) (a) of the Haryana Legislative Assembly (Allowances and Pension) of Members Act, 1975, but shall not be deemed to be absent for the purposes of Article 190 (4) of the Constitution.
(11) “Papers laid on the Table”. –Papers are said to be laid on the Table when they are laid on the Table of the House in which meetings are held. All papers so laid on the Table are either printed as part of the proceedings of the House or placed in the Library. All papers or documents laid on the Table are required to be duly authenticated by the Members presenting it.
(12) “Point of Order”. –A point relating to the interpretation or enforcement of the Rules of Procedure or such Articles of the Constitution as regulate the business of the House, raised in the House for the decision of the Chair.
As soon as a point of order is raised, the Member who is in possession of the House should give way and resume his seat.
A member should not raise a point of order-
(a) to ask for information
(b) to explain his position
(c) when a question on any motion is being put to the House
(d) which may be hypothetical
(e) that Division Bells did not ring or were not heard.
A member who wishes to bring to the notice of the House any matter which is not a point of order shall give notice to the Secretary giving two clear days in advance in writing stating briefly the point which he wishes to raise in the House togetherwith reasons for wishing to raise it, and he shall be permitted to raise it only after the Speaker has given his consent and at such time and date as the Speaker may fix.
In order that notices may be admissible it shall satisfy the following conditions namely:-
(i) It shall not refer to a matter which is not primarily the concern of the State Government.
(ii) It shall raise substantially one definite issue of urgent public importance.
(iii) It shall not relate to a matter which has been discussed in the same session or which is substantially identical to the matter already raised by a member under this rule during the session.
(iv) It shall not refer to any matter pending before the Assembly Committees.
(v) It shall not relate to any matter which is sub-judice.
(vi) Contents of the subject matter shall not exceed more than 150 words.
(vii) It shall not contain arguments, inferences, ironical expression, imputations, epithets or defamatory statement.
Notices shall be received in the Secretariat by 11 hrs. on each day commencing from the first sitting of the Session.
Text of the notices shall not enter in the List of Business. Only an entry under heading “Matters under rule 112A” shall be included in the List of Business.
The notices approved by the Speaker for a day shall be circulated to the members before commencement of the sitting for the day. Only the text approved by the Speaker shall go on record and shall be taken up in the House at such time as the Speaker thinks fit.
If a member is absent when called upon by the Speaker to raise the matter given notice of by him, the notice shall fall through.
If a Minister so desires, he may make a statement on the matter in the House with the permission of the Speaker. Otherwise extracts of the notices raised in the House shall be sent to the Minister/concerned departments on the next day by the Secretariat for furnishing reply within five days. The reply so received by the Secretariat from the Minister/departments concerned shall be communicated to the members.
No member shall raise more than one matter in a sitting.
Not more than five notices shall be determined according to the priority of inter-se importance of the matter. The remaining notices beyond five for a day shall lapse and fresh notices are to be given for the same.
The Speaker shall have the power not to allow any matter to be raised for a particular day.
The decision of the Speaker as to whether a point raised is a point of order is final.
(13) “Proposing the Question”. –When a Member moving a motion has concluded his speech, no discussion thereon can start unless the Chair proposes the question in terms of the motion moved in the following way:-
“Motion moved………………………(the text of the motion)”.
This is known as proposing the question. Discussion may take place after the question has been proposed.
(14) “Prorogation”. –The termination of a session of the House by an order made by the Governor under Article 174 (2) (a) of the Constitution.
(15) “Putting the Question”. After discussion on a motion has taken place the opinion of the House is taken by “putting the question”, thus. “The question is that…………………… The House may answer the question positively or negatively, that is, it may carry the motion or reject it.
(16) “Summons”. –It is an official communication issued by the Secretary, Haryana Vidhan Sabha, to the members of the Sabha informing them of the place, date and time of commencement of a session of the Sabha.
(17) “Table of the House”.- This table is placed in the middle of the House which divides the Members benches on the right and the left of the Speaker.
(18) “Suspension from the Service of the House”.-Means when a motion is adopted by the House for the suspension of a Member from the service of the House. Several consequences flow from this suspension.
24. Supply of Assembly Papers to Members
The following papers relating to the business of the House are circulated to the Members in advance either by placing them in their seats in the Chamber if the House happens to be sitting or by sending them to their local addresses, as registered in the receipt and dispatch section, and copies are not again supplied to them in the House:-
(l) List of Business
(II) List of Starred and Unstarred Questions
(lll) Bills as introduced in the House
(lV) Copies of Ordinances, if any, promulgated during the intersession periods
(V) Reports of Select Committees on Bills
(VI) Notices of Motions
(VII) Notices of amendments to Bills, Resolutions and motions
(VIII) Notices of motions for reduction of grants
(IX) Reports of Committees of the Vidhan Sabha after their presentation to the House.
Notices of questions and resolutions which are received in Hindi are translated in to English and lists of questions are circulated in the English language as also in Hindi.
Members are required to preserve copies of Bills and other papers which have been circulated to them and to bring them for use in the House on the day or days when the relevant business is going to be taken up. A few sets of all such papers are also left with the Chamber Assistant form whom these may be obtained for consultation by any Member who may have forgotten to bring his own papers with him.
Copies of Bills pending before the House previous session or sessions and which have already been made available to members may be obtained by Members who have not got copies of such Bills readily available with them from the Chamber Assistant on request.