The Parliament of India (Bhāratīya Saṁsada) is the supreme legislative institution of the Republic of India, established as a bicameral legislature under Article 79 of the Constitution. It comprises the President of India, the Rajya Sabha (Council of States), and the Lok Sabha (House of the People).
The institution's origin lies in the transition from the colonial Imperial Legislative Council (created in 1861) to the sovereign Constituent Assembly of India. The Parliament formally succeeded the Constituent Assembly after the Constitution came into force on January 26, 1950, establishing a representative democracy to enact laws for the new nation. The first elected Parliament met on May 13, 1952.
The mechanism of the Parliament involves the Lok Sabha, whose members are directly elected, and the Rajya Sabha, whose members are elected by state legislative assemblies, with 12 members nominated by the President. Legislative proposals become an Act of Parliament after being passed by both Houses and receiving the President's assent. The Lok Sabha holds dominance in financial matters, as Money Bills must originate there and the Rajya Sabha can only recommend changes within fourteen days.
Parliament connects directly to the executive, as the Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha. Its constituent power to amend the Constitution under Article 368 is limited by the Basic Structure Doctrine, established in Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala (1973), which held that Parliament cannot alter the Constitution's basic features.
Recently, the physical location changed with the inauguration of the new Sansad Bhavan on May 28, 2023. A change in composition occurred in January 2020 when the provision for nominating two Anglo-Indian members to the Lok Sabha was abolished by the 104th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2019. Furthermore, the 106th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2023, reserves 33% of seats in the Lok Sabha for women, though its implementation is contingent on the next delimitation exercise.