Maarg Manthan · Topic 16.12

Question Hour, Zero Hour and Other Parliamentary Devices

Indian Polity › Parliament · Topic 16.12

Parliament uses Question Hour (starred, unstarred, short notice), Zero Hour, motions such as adjournment, calling attention, no-confidence and censure, and resolutions, to question ministers and express the House’s will.

6 min read · UPSC Prelims · Polity · Parliament

At a Glance

What it is The procedural devices members use to question and hold the government accountable
Question Hour The first hour of every sitting
Zero Hour An Indian innovation since 1962; not in the Rules
Motions Calling attention, adjournment, no-confidence, censure, closure
Exam link UPSC Prelims, Polity: Parliament

Where Does It Fit?

This is the twelfth topic of the category on Parliament. Parliamentary proceedings use a number of devices that allow members to question ministers, raise urgent matters, and express the House’s opinion.

Question Hour

The first hour of every sitting is for questions, which ministers usually answer. Questions are of three kinds. A starred question, marked with an asterisk, requires an oral answer and allows supplementary questions. An unstarred question requires a written answer and no supplementary questions can follow. A short notice question is asked with less than ten days’ notice and is answered orally. Questions can also be addressed to private members if the matter relates to a bill or resolution for which the member is responsible. The lists are printed in green for starred, white for unstarred, light pink for short notice and yellow for questions to private members.

Zero Hour

Zero Hour is not mentioned in the Rules of Procedure and is an informal device for raising matters of urgent public importance. It starts immediately after the Question Hour and lasts until the agenda for the day is taken up; the gap between them is the Zero Hour. It is an Indian innovation, in existence since 1962.

Motions

Motion	Key features
Substantive motion	Self-contained independent proposal on an important matter such as impeachment of the President
Substitute motion	Moved in substitution of an original motion
Subsidiary motion	Has no meaning without reference to the original motion; ancillary, superseding, amendment
Closure motion	Cuts short a debate; simple closure, closure by compartments, kangaroo closure and guillotine closure
Privilege motion	Moved when a minister breaches the privilege of the House by withholding facts or giving wrong or distorted facts; to censure the minister
Calling attention motion	To call a minister’s attention to a matter of urgent public importance; an Indian innovation since 1954; mentioned in the Rules
Adjournment motion	Draws attention to a definite matter of urgent public importance; needs support of 50 members; extraordinary device with an element of censure; not available in the Rajya Sabha; discussion at least two and a half hours
No-confidence motion	Needs the support of 50 members to be admitted; the Lok Sabha can remove the council
Censure motion	Must state reasons; can be moved against one minister, a group or the council; the council need not resign if passed
Motion of Thanks	On the President’s address; must be passed or it amounts to defeat of the government

Supporting Details

No discussion on a matter of general public importance can take place except on a motion made with the consent of the presiding officer. The motions moved to raise discussions fall into three principal categories: substantive, substitute and subsidiary. The no-day-yet-named motion is one admitted by the Speaker but for which no date has been fixed, and the Speaker allots a day in consultation with the Leader of the House or on the Business Advisory Committee’s recommendation. A dilatory motion seeks to adjourn a debate or delay business and can be refused by the Speaker if it is an abuse of the rules. The right to move an adjournment motion is subject to restrictions: it must raise a definite, factual, urgent matter of public importance, not cover more than one matter, relate to a recent occurrence, not raise a question of privilege, not revive a matter discussed in the same session, and not deal with a matter under adjudication by a court.

Other Devices

A point of order relates to the interpretation or enforcement of the Rules or the Constitutional Articles regulating business; no debate is allowed on it. A half-an-hour discussion is for a matter of sufficient public importance that has been debated and needs elucidation of fact; the Speaker can allot three days a week and no formal motion or voting takes place. A short duration discussion, also called a two-hour discussion, has existed since 1953, and the Speaker can allot two days a week. A special mention in the Rajya Sabha, equivalent to Notice (Mention) under Rule 377 in the Lok Sabha, raises matters that cannot be raised in other ways. Resolutions are self-contained proposals expressing the House’s decision: private members’, government and statutory resolutions; private members’ resolutions are discussed only on alternate Fridays. The Youth Parliament scheme was started on the recommendation of the Fourth All India Whips Conference.

Why Is This Topic Important?

Frequent facts Starred, unstarred, short notice; zero hour 1962
Motion comparison No-confidence versus censure is a classic
Mains angle Parliament’s accountability tools

What Came Next?

The next topic covers the privileges of Parliament and its members.

Key People and Terms

Starred question Oral answer with supplementaries
Zero Hour Informal hour after Question Hour
Closure motion Motion to end a debate
Point of order Raised on procedure
Calling attention Notice on an urgent matter

Exam Corner

Points to Remember

Starred: oral; unstarred: written; short notice: less than ten days.
Zero Hour since 1962; calling attention since 1954.
Adjournment motion needs 50 members; not in the Rajya Sabha.
Four closures: simple, compartments, kangaroo, guillotine.

Do Not Confuse With

No-confidence and censure motions Council only versus any minister; resign versus need not
Zero Hour and Question Hour Informal versus Rules
Adjournment motion and calling attention Interrupts business versus seeks a statement

Memory Hook

Ask in Question Hour, urge in Zero Hour, move motions, close with a guillotine.

Mains Angle

Questions on this topic usually ask about accountability tools. Use these points to add depth.

Tools of scrutiny Questions and motions
Informal innovations Zero Hour and calling attention
Opposition use Point of order and adjournment motion
Limits Rajya Sabha excluded from some devices

A Question You May Face

An original practice question, not a past paper question.

“Discuss the devices available in Parliament to hold the government accountable.”

How to Answer

Introduction Responsible government.
Questions Question Hour and Zero Hour.
Motions Principal motions.
Conclusion Effectiveness.

GS Relevance

Prelims: Indian Polity, Parliament. GS Paper 2: Parliament and accountability.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Question Hour?

Question Hour is the first hour of every parliamentary sitting, in which members ask questions and ministers usually answer. Questions are starred, requiring an oral answer with supplementaries, unstarred, requiring a written answer, or short notice, asked with less than ten days’ notice.

What is Zero Hour?

Zero Hour is an informal device, not mentioned in the Rules of Procedure, to raise matters of urgent public importance. It starts immediately after Question Hour and lasts until the day’s agenda is taken up, and has existed since 1962 as an Indian innovation.

What is an adjournment motion?

An adjournment motion draws the attention of the House to a definite matter of urgent public importance, needs the support of 50 members, interrupts normal business and involves an element of censure. It is not permitted in the Rajya Sabha and its discussion lasts at least two and a half hours.

How is a censure motion different from a no-confidence motion?

A censure motion must state reasons, can be moved against one minister, a group or the council, and the council need not resign if it passes. A no-confidence motion needs no reasons, is moved against the whole council and forces resignation if passed.

What are the types of closure motions?

There are four closure motions: simple closure, closure by compartments, kangaroo closure and guillotine closure. They cut short debate, group clauses, skip clauses or put undiscussed clauses to vote for want of time, as the case may be.

PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis

1 Zero Hour is mentioned in the Rules of Procedure.

False

It is informal.

2 An adjournment motion can be moved in the Rajya Sabha.