The Winter Session is a concept and convention of the Indian Parliament, representing the third and final of the three annual sessions, following the Budget and Monsoon Sessions. It is typically convened between November and December. The Winter Session is not explicitly mandated by the Constitution, but it operates within the constitutional framework established by Article 85. This Article 85 empowers the President to summon each House of Parliament, with the key provision that the gap between two sessions cannot exceed six months. The convention of holding three sessions annually ensures that Parliament meets at regular intervals to fulfill its legislative and oversight functions.
The session's primary mechanism is to transact legislative business, including the consideration and passing of various bills and legislative measures, often addressing pending work from earlier sessions. It also serves as a crucial forum for the accountability of the executive, with mechanisms like Question Hour and debates on national issues being fully operational. The Winter Session is generally the shortest of the three sessions. The scheduling of the session is decided by the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs and formalized by the President. The session connects to the broader legislative process, where bills must pass through both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and receive the President's assent to become law. While the core function and constitutional basis have remained constant, the specific legislative agenda and the number of sittings change each year based on the government's business.