Assent to Bills: President Assent
By Balaji
Updated on: February 17th, 2023
Assent to Bills when a bill gets passed by both Houses of Parliament, it is forwarded to the President, and the President will declare if he assents or withholds the bill. The ultimate law-making authority in India is the Parliament. A bill will only become a law if it is agreed upon by both Houses of Parliament and gains the President’s Assent. Here we will discuss Assent to Bills and when a president can withhold his/her Assent to Bills in India.
Assent to Bills is an important part of the UPSC Syllabus as it comes under the Indian Constitution. That’s why every UPSC aspirant must be aware of this topic to answer all the possible questions.
Table of content
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1. What is a Bill?
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2. Assent to Bills (President’s Assent)
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3. Assent to Ordinary Bills
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4. Assent to Money Bills
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5. Assent to Constitutional Amendment Bill
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6. President’s Veto Power
What is a Bill?
A bill is a new law proposal or a draft of a legislative proposal to change the existing law. A bill is presented for debate before Parliament. A bill can be introduced in any House for examination, discussion, and changes. The government, private individuals or organizations and Individual MPs can introduce different bills. There are various types of bills – Financial Bills, Ordinary Bill, Ordinance Replacing Bill, etc.
Assent to Bills (President’s Assent)
There are three actions that a President can usually take when a bill is sent:
- President can give his/her assent
- He/she can withhold his/her assent
- The President can return the bill for reconsideration
Assent to Ordinary Bills
If it is an ordinary bill, there are some actions that the president can take:
- Grant consent – this implies that the bill is authorized and will become law.
- Withhold AssentAssent – which signifies that the President ends the bill and it will not become a law.
- Return the bill for reconsideration – the Houses are asked to make changes and reconsider the bill; later, it is sent to the President for Assent again.
Assent to Money Bills
In the case of a money bill, the President of India has only two options. He can either give or withhold assent to the money bill. Money bills can’t be returned to the house by the president for reconsideration under the constitution of India.
Assent to Constitutional Amendment Bill
In the case of constitutional amendment bills, the President of India must give assent. Here he can’t return or withhold the bills. If the president passes the constitutional amendment bill, then it becomes a constitutional amendment Act.
President’s Veto Power
When both houses of parliament pass the bill, then it goes to the president of India for his assent. The president has the power to grant consent or return it as per the type of the bill. This choice is termed as Veto Power of the president.
