The Parliament of India is the supreme legislative body and a central institution of Indian democracy. It is a bicameral legislature consisting of the President of India, the Rajya Sabha (Council of States), and the Lok Sabha (House of the People). The framework for this institution is established in the Constitution of India, which came into force on January 26, 1950, adopting the Westminster model of government. Its historical origin lies in the colonial-era Imperial Legislative Council, created by the Indian Councils Act 1861. The first elected Parliament met in April 1952.
The structure is defined by Article 79 of the Constitution, which states that the Parliament for the Union shall consist of the President and the two Houses. The provisions governing its organisation and powers are contained in Part V, from Article 79 to 122. The Lok Sabha (currently 543 members) represents the people and its members are directly elected by citizens. The Rajya Sabha (currently 245 members, including 12 nominated) represents the states and its members are indirectly elected by state legislative assemblies. Parliament's primary function is to enact laws on subjects in the Union List and Concurrent List. It also holds the Executive (Council of Ministers) accountable through mechanisms like the Question Hour.
The Parliament connects directly to the Executive, as the Council of Ministers is responsible to the Lok Sabha, and to the Judiciary, which exercises judicial review over its legislation. A significant recent change is the inauguration of the New Parliament Building (Sansad Bhavan) on May 28, 2023, with the first session held on September 19, 2023. Furthermore, the provision for the President to nominate two members of the Anglo-Indian community to the Lok Sabha was abolished in January 2020 by the 104th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2019.