SSC
A Member of Parliament may be disqualified if he or she remains absent from all meetings of the House without its permission for a continuous period of:
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Answer: Option A — 60 days
Detailed Solution
Under Article 101(4), if a member of either House of Parliament is absent from all meetings of the House for a period of sixty days without its permission, the House may declare his seat vacant.
How the 60 days are counted:
- In computing the period of sixty days, any period during which the House is prorogued or adjourned for more than four consecutive days is not counted.
- This means only days on which the House actually meets, or short breaks, are counted.
Who decides:
- The House itself decides whether to declare the seat vacant.
- A member may apply for leave of absence, and the House usually grants it through its Committee on Absence of Members.
Other grounds on which a seat falls vacant:
- Resignation: a member may resign by writing to the presiding officer, and the resignation takes effect when it is accepted.
- Disqualification under Article 102, for example for being of unsound mind, an undischarged insolvent or not a citizen of India.
- Disqualification under the Tenth Schedule for defection.
- Simultaneous membership of Parliament and a state legislature, if the member does not resign the state seat within the time allowed.
- Election being declared void by a court.
- Expulsion by the House for misconduct.
- Election to the office of President or Vice-President, or appointment as Governor.
The Committee on Absence of Members:
The Lok Sabha has a Committee on Absence of Members, which examines all applications for leave of absence and makes recommendations to the House.
State legislatures:
Article 190(4) contains a similar rule for state legislators, with the same period of sixty days.
Why the rule matters:
- It ensures that elected representatives attend the House and perform their duties.
- Voters are entitled to be represented in the House by an active member.
Why not the other options?
- ✗30 days, 90 days and 6 months are not the period laid down for absence of members.
Quick tip
Remember: Absent 60 days without permission → seat may be declared vacant (Article 101(4)).
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Parliament — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Parliament, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the Parliament of India: the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, their composition, powers and officers, sessions, the law-making process, money bills, joint sittings, parliamentary committees, and devices such as question hour, zero hour and the various motions. Typical questions ask about the maximum strength of each house, the minimum age for members, who certifies a money bill (the Speaker), who presides over a joint sitting, and which committee is chaired by a member of the opposition (the Public Accounts Committee, by convention). Note the special powers of the Rajya Sabha under Articles 249 and 312. Practise the Parliament questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.