Consider the following statements:
1. The President of India can summon a session of the Parliament at such place as he/she thinks fit.
2. The Constitution of India provides for three sessions of the Parliament in a year, but it is not mandatory to conduct all three sessions.
3. There is no minimum number of days that the Parliament is required to meet in a year.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Explanation
Statement 1 is correct: Under Article 85(1) of the Constitution of India, the President has the constitutional power to summon each House of Parliament to meet at such time and place as he/she thinks fit.
Statement 2 is incorrect: The Constitution does not specify three sessions (Budget, Monsoon, and Winter sessions exist purely by parliamentary convention). Article 85(1) merely dictates that six months shall not intervene between the last sitting in one session and the date appointed for its first sitting in the next session (mandating a minimum of two sessions per year).
Statement 3 is correct: The Constitution does not prescribe any statutory minimum number of working days or sittings that Parliament must convene in a calendar year.
Hence, statements 1 and 3 are correct — Option C.