The Indian Parliament is the supreme legislative body of the Republic of India, defined as an institution by the Constitution. Its creation was formalized after India's independence, succeeding the pre-independence Imperial Legislative Council, which was established in 1861 via the Indian Councils Act 1861. The Parliament was constituted in April 1952, following the first general elections, to solve the problem of providing a sovereign, representative, and law-making body for the newly independent nation.
The mechanism of the Parliament is outlined in Part V of the Constitution, establishing a bicameral system. Article 79 states that the Parliament shall consist of the President of India and two Houses: the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and the Lok Sabha (House of the People). The Lok Sabha is the lower house, with members directly elected by citizens based on universal adult franchise. The Rajya Sabha is the upper house, a permanent body whose members are indirectly elected by the legislative assemblies of the states. All legislation must be passed by both Houses and receive Presidential assent to become law, though the Lok Sabha holds predominance in certain financial matters, such as a Money Bill defined under Article 110. The Parliament connects directly to the Union Executive, as the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers are drawn from and collectively responsible to the Parliament.
A significant recent change is the inauguration of the new Parliament building, the Sansad Bhavan, on May 28, 2023, replacing the old structure. Furthermore, the 104th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2019, abolished the provision for the nomination of two members of the Anglo-Indian community to the Lok Sabha, which had been in place between 1952 and 2020. The 106th Constitution (Amendment) Act, 2023, introduced the reservation of one-third of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies, though its commencement is tied to the first census and delimitation after the Act.