Three organs of government
In a school, a committee makes the rules, teachers see that they are followed, and the principal settles disputes. The three have different jobs. The government of a country also works in three parts.
The government has three organs: the legislature makes laws, the executive carries them out and the judiciary gives justice. The Constitution decides their powers and limits.
Key idea 1 : Legislature — The body that makes laws. At the national level it is called Parliament.
Key idea 2 : Executive — It carries out the laws and runs government schemes.
Key idea 3 : Judiciary — It settles disputes, sees that the law applies equally to all and gives justice.
- Easy : Who makes the law to impose a new tax? — The legislature.
- Medium : Who actually collects that tax? — The executive (government departments).
- Exam-type : Where does a citizen seek relief if the tax seems unfair? — To the judiciary (the court).
In the figure: One government, three parts: those who make laws, carry them out and give justice.
How the three organs relate to one another decides whether a country has a parliamentary or a presidential system.
Making laws and carrying them out are not the same job: the legislature makes the law, the executive implements it.
Legislature = law; executive = action; judiciary = justice. Memory clue: remember three words — law, action, justice.
Spot the difference
| Organ | Work | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Legislature | Makes laws | Parliament |
| Executive | Carries out laws | Prime Minister and ministers |
| Judiciary | Gives justice | Supreme Court |
Practice questions
- 1Which are the three organs of government?
- 2Who makes laws?
- 3Whose job is it to give justice?
- 4State the work of the executive.
- 5Who decides the powers and limits of the three organs?
- 6Which are the two main systems of government?
- 7Show with one example how the three organs work once a new law is made.
- 8Why should the three organs be separate? Write your opinion.
Show answers (try them yourself first)
- 1The legislature, the executive and the judiciary.
- 2The legislature; at the centre it is called Parliament.
- 3The judiciary’s.
- 4The executive carries out laws and runs government schemes.
- 5The Constitution.
- 6The parliamentary system and the presidential system.
- 7Parliament makes the rule, departments see that it is followed and the court decides if there is a dispute.
- 8Because when each keeps an eye on the others, no single organ can act arbitrarily and justice stays safe.
Features of the parliamentary system
A class representative stays on with the support of most friends, and is replaced when that support is gone. In the parliamentary system too, a government stays on with the support of a majority.
In the parliamentary system the party that wins more than half the seats in the Lok Sabha forms the government and its leader becomes Prime Minister. The Prime Minister and the ministers are responsible to the legislature.
Key idea 1 : Majority and coalition government — If no single party wins more than half the seats, some parties join together to form a coalition government.
Key idea 2 : Dual responsibility — The Prime Minister and ministers carry out laws and, as members of Parliament, also do the work of the legislature.
Key idea 3 : Collective responsibility and no-confidence motion — A decision of one department is a decision of the whole council of ministers. If the legislature loses confidence and a no-confidence motion is passed, the ministers must go. That is why this is called ‘responsible government’.
- Easy : If the Lok Sabha has 543 seats, how many seats are needed for a majority at least? — Half is 271.5, so at least 272.
- Medium : One party has 200 seats and its partners have 100; what can happen? — With 300 seats in all, a coalition government can be formed.
- Exam-type : If one minister’s decision goes wrong, who is responsible? — The whole council of ministers (collective responsibility).
In the figure: Election, majority or coalition, the Prime Minister and ministers, and answerability to Parliament.
On 17 April 1999 a confidence motion moved in the Lok Sabha by the government of the day (Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee) was lost by just one vote, 269 to 270, and the government had to resign. This shows how a government goes once majority support is gone.
The council of ministers lasts only while it has the Lok Sabha’s confidence. That is why this is called responsible government.
A no-confidence motion is moved by the opposition and a confidence motion by the government itself; do not mix them up. Both are decided by a majority.
Majority gives a government, lost confidence means resignation. Memory clue: ‘majority = more than half’.
Spot the difference
| Concept | Meaning | Who moves it |
|---|---|---|
| No-confidence motion | No faith in the government | Opposition members |
| Confidence motion | To show the government has a majority | The government |
| Coalition government | Government of several parties together | — |
Practice questions
- 1Who forms the government in the parliamentary system?
- 2What is a coalition government?
- 3To whom is the council of ministers responsible?
- 4What is dual responsibility?
- 5Explain collective responsibility with an example.
- 6Why is this system called ‘responsible government’?
- 7Why did a government fall by one vote in 1999? What does it show?
- 8State the difference between a no-confidence motion and a confidence motion.
Show answers (try them yourself first)
- 1The party that wins more than half the seats in the Lok Sabha.
- 2A government formed by several parties together when no single party has a majority.
- 3To the legislature (the Lok Sabha).
- 4The Prime Minister and ministers carry out laws and also do legislative work as members of Parliament.
- 5If one department takes a wrong decision, the whole council of ministers is held responsible.
- 6Because the council of ministers must answer to the legislature for all its decisions.
- 7Support was 269 and opposition 270; without a majority it had to resign. It shows that every vote counts.
- 8The opposition moves a no-confidence motion and the government moves a confidence motion; the majority decides both.
Presidential system and why India chose the parliamentary system
When all students directly choose the school head, that head does not need a committee’s confidence to stay in the post. This is a simple picture of the presidential system.
In the presidential system the President is chosen through the people’s votes, is the executive head and does not depend on the legislature. The United States has this system.
Key idea 1 : Features of the presidential system — The legislature and the executive do not depend directly on each other. The President holds many powers to carry out laws.
Key idea 2 : Mutual check — Though independent, both organs keep a check on each other, so the government stays responsible.
Key idea 3 : Why India chose the parliamentary system — Parliamentary institutions began under British rule and became familiar to Indians through the freedom movement. After discussion in the Constituent Assembly, a few changes were made to suit Indian conditions.
- Easy : India has a Prime Minister but the USA does not; why? — The USA has the presidential system, where the President is executive head.
- Medium : How does the American legislature affect the President? — Though independent, it keeps a check on him or her.
- Exam-type : Why is the opposition’s role important? — It points out the government’s mistakes and supports where right, so laws improve.
In the figure: India and England follow the parliamentary system; the USA follows the presidential system.
In the parliamentary system the executive lasts on the legislature’s confidence; in the presidential system it does not depend on it.
Do not think the President decides everything in India; in the parliamentary system real power lies with the Prime Minister and the ministers.
Parliamentary = lasts on confidence; presidential = independent. Memory clue: ‘Parliament = together, President = apart’.
Spot the difference
| Point | Parliamentary | Presidential |
|---|---|---|
| Executive head | Prime Minister | President |
| Link with legislature | Depends on its confidence | Does not depend |
| Example country | India, England | USA |
Practice questions
- 1In which country is the presidential system followed?
- 2Where did the parliamentary system first develop?
- 3India has a Prime Minister but the USA does not; why?
- 4Write two features of the presidential system.
- 5State two reasons why India adopted the parliamentary system.
- 6How do the two organs check each other in the presidential system?
- 7Why is the opposition’s role important? Write your opinion.
- 8Compare the two systems in two points.
Show answers (try them yourself first)
- 1In the United States.
- 2In England.
- 3In the USA the President is executive head; a Prime Minister belongs to the parliamentary system.
- 4The legislature and executive do not depend directly on each other; the President has many powers to carry out laws.
- 5Parliamentary institutions were known since British rule; the freedom movement rooted them.
- 6Both are independent, yet each watches the other’s work.
- 7The opposition points out mistakes and asks studied questions, which makes laws and policies better.
- 8Parliamentary: head is the Prime Minister, depends on confidence. Presidential: head is the President, not dependent on the legislature.