Revision summary
Uttar Pradesh is bicameral: a 403-member Assembly and a Legislative Council. A Bill is introduced, read three times, and passed by majority present and voting. Money Bills originate only in the Assembly; the Council has fourteen days to recommend. Non-Money Bills can still become law over the Council under Article 197 after a second passage. The Governor assents, returns a non-Money Bill once, or reserves it for the President. Ordinances under Article 213 fill the gap when the House is not sitting.
Model answer
Introduction
- Uttar Pradesh has a bicameral legislature: a directly elected Legislative Assembly of 403 members and a Legislative Council. Ordinary law is made when a Bill is passed by the houses as the Constitution requires and assented to by the Governor. The Assembly is the democratic engine; the Council and the Governor are the other gates.
Body
Who may introduce and what kind of Bill
- A minister or a private member may introduce a Bill in the Assembly, subject to the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly and to prior sanction where the Constitution requires it.
- Money Bills and financial Bills follow Articles 198 to 207 as applied to States: only the Assembly may originate a Money Bill, and the Council’s power is recommendatory within fourteen days.
- The Governor’s recommendation is required before a Money Bill or a Bill involving expenditure from the Consolidated Fund is taken up.
Passage inside the Assembly
- First reading is introduction and publication; the House may then send the Bill to a select or joint committee or take it up clause by clause.
- Second reading is principle and clause-wise amendment; the Speaker decides admissibility of amendments and the scope of debate.
- Third reading is the final vote on the Bill as a whole. A simple majority of members present and voting suffices unless the Constitution specifies otherwise.
- The Assembly Secretariat prepares the authentic text; the Speaker certifies a Money Bill under Article 199, which the Council cannot question in substance.
The Council, the Governor, and becoming an Act
- A non-Money Bill passed by the Assembly goes to the Legislative Council. If the Council rejects, amends, or sits on it, Article 197 provides a second-passage route so that the Assembly’s will can still prevail after the prescribed interval.
- Article 200 then places the Bill before the Governor, who may assent, withhold assent, return a non-Money Bill once for reconsideration, or reserve it for the President under Article 201.
- After assent the Bill is notified as an Act of the Uttar Pradesh Legislature and published in the Gazette.
- Ordinances under Article 213 are the emergency substitute when the House is not in session; they must be laid and can lapse if not replaced by an Act.
Practical notes
- Party whip, Business Advisory Committee, and the Leader of the House decide how much real clause debate a Bill receives, so the constitutional map is longer than a typical sitting day.
Flow diagram
flowchart TD
I[Introduction in Vidhan Sabha] --> R[Three readings]
R --> MB{Money Bill}
MB -->|Yes| C1[Council 14 days recommend]
MB -->|No| C2[Council Art 197]
C1 --> G[Governor Art 200]
C2 --> G
G --> A[Assent Gazette Act]
G --> P[Reserve Art 201]
Conclusion
Law-making in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly runs from introduction and three readings, through Money-Bill privilege against the Council, to the Governor’s assent or reservation. The Assembly is the primary democratic chamber; bicameral delay and gubernatorial reservation are the constitutional brakes, not optional courtesy.
Quick related
Students also ask
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Clarify the role of Civil Servants in strengthening the democratic process in India.
Next question in the 2023 paper (Q15). View answer →
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Can the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council veto an ordinary Bill forever?
No. Article 197 lets the Assembly pass it again after the constitutional interval; the Council can delay, not permanently kill, an Assembly majority Bill.
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Must every Bill go to the President?
No. Only Bills reserved under Articles 200 and 201, or those that constitutionally require Presidential assent, go to the President.
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