Question

At a joint sitting of Parliament a bill has to be passed ________.

• A. by a simple majority of the total number of members of both Houses
• B. by a two-thirds majority of the total number of members of both Houses
• C. by a simple majority of the total number of members of both Houses present and voting
• D. by a two-thirds majority of the total number of members of both Houses present and voting

Answer 1

The correct option is C by a simple majority of the total number of members of both Houses present and voting

A bill which requires special majority in both the houses (e.g. Constitution Amendment Bill) cannot be introduced in a Joint Session of Parliament. Only the bills which require simple majority in both houses and where the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha are having conflict, can be introduced/passed in a Joint Session of Parliament.
In a joint sitting of Parliament, a bill is passed simply by the majority of the both the members of the house present and voting. Since Lok Sabha has more members as compared to Rajya Sabha therefore its influence prevails.
Till now three bills have been passed by joint session as
1) Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961
2) Banking Service Commission 1978
3) Prevention of Terrorism Act, 2002