Article 111: Veto Power of the President

Article 111 of the Indian Constitution is a crucial provision that deals with the President's power to give assent (approval) to bills passed by both houses of Parliament. A bill cannot become an Act (law) unless the President signs it.

Question (Click to Flip)

Can the President reject a bill passed by Parliament for the second time?

Answer

No. If a bill is returned by the President and Parliament passes it again, Article 111 mandates that the President 'shall not withhold assent therefrom'.

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Key Facts

The President cannot use the suspensive veto for 'Money Bills'. They must either give assent or withhold it.

The 24th Constitutional Amendment Act (1971) made it mandatory for the President to give his assent to Constitutional Amendment Bills.

President Giani Zail Singh famously used the Pocket Veto in 1986 against the Indian Post Office (Amendment) Bill.

1. What does Article 111 state?

When a Bill has been passed by the Houses of Parliament, it is presented to the President. The President has three choices:

He may assent to the Bill (approve it).
He may withhold his assent from the Bill (reject it).
He may return the Bill (if it is not a Money Bill) to Parliament for reconsideration.

2. The Types of Veto Power

Although the word 'veto' is not explicitly written in the Constitution, Article 111 grants the President three types of veto powers:

Absolute Veto: Withholding assent to a bill, meaning the bill ends and does not become a law.
Suspensive Veto: Returning the bill for reconsideration. However, if Parliament passes the bill again (with or without amendments), the President must give his assent.
Pocket Veto: Neither ratifying, nor rejecting, nor returning the bill, but simply keeping it pending indefinitely.

Questions and Answers

Can the President reject a bill passed by Parliament for the second time?+

No. If a bill is returned by the President and Parliament passes it again, Article 111 mandates that the President 'shall not withhold assent therefrom'.

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