Prorogation

noun

/ˌprəʊ.rə.ˈɡeɪ.ʃən/

The act of ending a session of Parliament by an order of the President, which terminates all pending business (except Bills pending in Rajya Sabha) without dissolving the House.

⚠️ UPSC confused pair — don't mix up with Adjournment, Dissolution

Adjournment ends a sitting and lies with the presiding officer; prorogation ends a session by order of the President (Article 85(2)(a)); dissolution ends the life of the Lok Sabha itself — the Rajya Sabha is never dissolved — and pending business lapses.

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

The contentious use of prorogation to suspend the legislature on the eve of a confidence vote reignited the debate over whether the executive's prerogative powers should remain subject to judicial review and the discipline of constitutional convention.

Synonyms

adjournmentsuspensionrecessdiscontinuancepostponementdeferment

Antonyms

convocationsummoningdissolutionreconvening

🌱 Word Family

prorogue (v), prorogued (adj), proroguing (v pres.p)

🔡 Root

Latin prōrogāre = to prolong/defer; prō- = forward; rogāre = to ask/propose; via Late Middle English

📜 Etymology

From Late Middle English, via Latin prōrogātiō, from prōrogāre ("to prolong, defer"), a combination of prō- ("forward") + rogāre ("to ask, propose").

🧠 Memory Hook

Pro- ('forth') + rogare ('to ask') — the executive asks the House to put its business FORTH to a later date; think "PRO-ROGUE": a rogue PM ROGUES the session away, sending Parliament home without ending it.

📝 Seen in UPSC Question Papers

Prelims 2024 — Parliament
Prelims 2016 — Parliament

Real UPSC previous-year questions whose text uses “Prorogation” — proof this word earns its place on your list.

⚖️ Polity & Constitution 📖 Seen in: Union Executive — President, Vice-Pres...

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