New Delhi: Cautioning the use of the ordinance method to pass Bills in the parliament, President Pranab Mukherjee said, “Of course, the ordinance route cannot be taken for normal legislation. The Constitution provides for proclamation of ordinances in an extraordinary situation where immediate legislation is necessary but the Houses are not in session. Therefore, the executive has been empowered with this extra-ordinary power to proclaim ordinances to meet the requirement of immediate legislation.”
The President was responding to a question on whether ordinances could be used for normal legislation. His comments came against the backdrop of an intense political debate on the Modi government resorting to the ordinance route on legislation that could not be passed in Parliament due to a deadlock in the Rajya Sabha.
While answering the question, the President also said the executive should remember that ordinances are meant for extraordinary situations.
