Constitution Section 111 — Assent to Bills

Part V — THE UNION — Legislative Procedure

Constitutional

Summary

After both Houses of Parliament pass a bill, it is sent to the President. The President must then either give assent to the bill or refuse to give assent. However, if the bill is not a Money Bill, the President may send it back to Parliament with a message suggesting changes or asking them to reconsider it. If Parliament passes the bill again, with or without those changes, and sends it back to the President, the President must then give assent and cannot refuse it.

Official Text

When a Bill has been passed by the Houses of Parliament, it shall be presented to the President, and the President shall declare either that he assents to the Bill, or that he withholds assent therefrom:

Provided that the President may, as soon as possible after the presentation to him of a Bill for assent, return the Bill if it is not a Money Bill to the Houses with a message requesting that they will reconsider the Bill or any specified provisions thereof and, in particular, will consider the desirability of introducing any such amendments as he may recommend in his message, and when a Bill is so returned, the Houses shall reconsider the Bill accordingly, and if the Bill is passed again by the Houses with or without amendment and presented to the President for assent, the President shall not withhold assent therefrom.