RAS question
A bill to amend the Constitution can be introduced:
Correct answer: (B) In either House of Parliament.
A Bill to amend the Constitution of India may be introduced in either House of Parliament under Article 368.
Explanation
Article 368 deals with Parliament's power to amend the Constitution and the procedure for doing so. Its text says that an amendment may be initiated only by introducing a Bill for that purpose in either House of Parliament. That is why the Bill is not confined to the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha. After introduction, the same provision requires the Bill to be passed in each House by a special majority: a majority of the total membership of that House and at least two-thirds of the members present and voting. Because each House must pass it separately, a joint sitting is not available for Constitutional Amendment Bills.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Article 368 allows introduction in either House of Parliament, so a Rajya Sabha-only limit contradicts the constitutional procedure.
- (C) A Constitutional Amendment Bill is not a Lok Sabha-only Bill because Article 368 also permits introduction in the Rajya Sabha.
- (D) Article 368 requires passage by each House separately by special majority, so no joint sitting is possible for amendment Bills.
Concept
This tests the Article 368 procedure for constitutional amendments: where the Bill may be introduced, how each House must pass it, and why joint sitting logic does not apply. It recurs in RAS because the answer turns on exact constitutional wording, not a general guess about parliamentary Bills.