Proroguing Assembly: What it means and under what circumstances does it happen?

On Saturday, the governor of West Bengal prorogued the Assembly, effectively ending the proceedings while still in session.

This is not the first time that the Parliament or a state assembly has been prorogued, albeit it is generally done in less tumultuous circumstances.

Is prorogation the same as dissolution?

No. Here's how prorogation and dissolution are different:

Prorogation spells only the end of the ongoing session of the House or state Assembly, whereas a dissolution refers to the constitution of a new set of members — for which elections are held —over issues ranging from lack of support or passing of no-confidence motions.

Who can prorogue a session?

Usually, the President of India issues a notification to prorogue the Parliament session after the House is adjourned sine die (before the end date). The President of India is empowered to do so under Article 85(2)(a) of the Constitution.

However, the circumstances in the incident in West Bengal differ from the usual norm. Generally, a governor does not take an active role in state politics but is empowered to prorogue or dissolve the Assembly by the Constitution of India.

Also Read — Bengal governor prorogues state assembly

What happened in Bengal?

In West Bengal, the governor had prorogued the Assembly on the recommendation of the state cabinet, as it had a year ago. In 2021, the governor had said that there has not been an instance wherein the Assembly has been in session for over a year for proroguing it, also done on the recommendation of the state cabinet.

A similar reason is expected for the action this time around too.

Article 174 of the Indian Constitution states that the Governor shall, from time to time, summon the House or each House of the legislature of the state to meet at such time and place as he thinks fit, but six months shall not intervene between its last sitting in one session and the date appointed for its first sitting in the next session.

Clause 2a of Article 174 states that the Governor may, from time to time, prorogue either house or dissolve the Legislative Assembly. Clause 2 gives him the power to dissolve the house.

Watch the latest DH Videos here: