The Parliament of India is the supreme legislative body of the Republic of India, established as an institution under the Constitution of India. It is a bicameral legislature, meaning it consists of two houses: the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and the Lok Sabha (House of the People), with the President of India as an integral part of the Parliament.
The concept of a national legislature in India has its roots in the British era, with the creation of the Imperial Legislative Council in 1861 via the Indian Councils Act 1861. This evolved into a bicameral structure with the Central Legislative Assembly and the Council of State under the Government of India Act 1919. Following independence, the Constituent Assembly, which was elected to draft the Constitution, also functioned as the provisional Parliament until the Constitution came into force on January 26, 1950. The first Parliament under the new Constitution was duly constituted after the first General Elections in 1951–52.
The mechanism of the Parliament is defined in Part V of the Constitution, specifically from Article 79 to Article 122. Article 79 explicitly states that the Parliament shall consist of the President, the Rajya Sabha, and the Lok Sabha. The Lok Sabha members are directly elected by citizens based on universal adult franchise, while the Rajya Sabha members are indirectly elected by the elected members of the State Legislative Assemblies. The primary function is legislation, where a bill must be passed by both Houses and receive the President's assent to become an Act. The Parliament also exercises control over the Union Executive (Council of Ministers), which is collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha.
The Parliament connects directly to the Union Executive and the Judiciary. Its laws are subject to judicial review by the Supreme Court of India. The power to amend the Constitution is vested in the Parliament under Article 368. A recent significant change occurred in January 2020 with the 104th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2019, which abolished the provision for the President to nominate two members of the Anglo-Indian community to the Lok Sabha. Additionally, the new Sansad Bhavan (New Parliament Building) was inaugurated in 2023, replacing the old structure for parliamentary proceedings.