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Tamil Nadu Legislative Council

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76-577: Tamil Nadu Legislative Council was the upper house of the former bicameral legislature of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu . It began its existence as Madras Legislative Council , the first provincial legislature for Madras Presidency . It was initially created as an advisory body in 1861, by the British colonial government . It was established by the Indian Councils Act 1861 , enacted in

152-540: A Tamil film actress, Vennira Aadai Nirmala (aka A. B. Shanthi) to the Council. Her swearing in ceremony was scheduled for 23 April 1986. Nirmala had earlier declared insolvency and according to Article 102-(1)(c) of the Indian Constitution, an insolvent person can not serve as a member of parliament or state legislature. On 21 April, a lawyer named S. K. Sundaram, filed a public interest writ petition in

228-824: A Legislative Council prior to joining Canada , as did Ontario when it was Upper Canada and Quebec from 1791 (as Lower Canada ) to 1968. Nebraska is the only state in the United States with a unicameral legislature, having abolished its lower house in 1934, while the Senate of Nebraska , the upper house prior to 1934, continues to assemble. The Australian state of Queensland also once had an appointed Legislative Council before abolishing it in 1922. All other Australian states continue to have bicameral systems, though all members are now directly elected (the two self-governing territories, along with Norfolk Island until 2016, have always been unicameral). Like Queensland,

304-417: A judge to annul an insolvency retrospectively if all debts had been paid in full. This annulment made Nirmala's nomination valid and the writ petition against it was dismissed. However, Nirmala withdrew her nomination to the council. The Governor of Tamil Nadu, Sundar Lal Khurana asked MGR to explain how Nirmala's nomination was proposed without proper vetting. This incident caused an embarrassment to MGR. Then

380-410: A lower house) is described as unicameral . An upper house is usually different from the lower house in at least one of the following respects (though they vary among jurisdictions): Powers: Status: In parliamentary systems the upper house is frequently seen as an advisory or a "house of review" chamber; for this reason, its powers of direct action are often reduced in some way. Some or all of

456-419: A maximum of 20, of whom not more than nine had to be officials. The Act introduced the method of election for the Council, but did not mention word "election" explicitly. The elected members were officially called as "nominated" members and their method of election was described as "recommendation". Such "recommendations" were made by district boards, universities, municipalities and other associations. The term of

532-504: A new lower house that no longer wishes to proceed with the bill. Nevertheless, some states have long retained powerful upper houses. For example, the consent of the upper house to legislation may be necessary (though, as noted above, this seldom extends to budgetary measures). Constitutional arrangements of states with powerful upper houses usually include a means to resolve situations where the two houses are at odds with each other. In recent times, parliamentary systems have tended to weaken

608-541: A new plan to shift the assembly and the government secretariat to the a new building in the Omandurar Government Estate. In 2007, the German architectural firm GMP International won the design competition to design and construct the new assembly complex. Construction began in 2008 and was completed in 2010. The assembly functioned in the new assembly building during March 2010 - May 2011. In May 2011,

684-592: A position which is known as "perfect bicameralism" or "equal bicameralism." The role of a revising chamber is to scrutinise legislation that may have been drafted over-hastily in the lower house and to suggest amendments that the lower house may nevertheless reject if it wishes to. An example is the British House of Lords . Under the Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949 , the House of Lords can no longer prevent

760-752: A resolution by the Tamil Nadu State Legislative Assembly by majority as provided in Article 169 of Constitution of India. Fort St. George has historically been the seat of the Government of Tamil Nadu since colonial times. During 1921–37, the Madras Legislative Council met at the council chambers within the fort. Between 14 July 1937 – 21 December 1938, the assembly met at the Senate House of

836-484: A resolution seeking to abolish the council was moved successfully in the legislative assembly. The Tamil Nadu Legislative Council (Abolition) Bill, 1986 was passed by both houses of the Parliament and received the assent of the president on 30 August 1986. The Act came into force on 1 November 1986 and the council was abolished. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has so far made three unsuccessful attempts to revive

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912-651: A rumor arose that President of the main opposition party and former Chief minister M Karunanidhi , who was not an MLA at that time, planned to enter the legislative council, and trouble the Chief minister from both Houses in the Legislature, as the Chief Minister was a member of the Lower House. Following such unwanted events and miffed with rumors, MGR decided to abolish the council once for all. On 14 May,

988-470: A small group of colonial India's educated elite. One of their main grievances was the difficulty Indians faced when trying to enter the civil service and administrative roles. Queen Victoria had promised racial equality in the selection of civil servants for the government of India in the Government of India Act of 1858, but in practice Indians remained largely outside spheres of power. Examinations for

1064-481: A sweeping majority. The AIADMK government headed by J.Jayalalitha expressed its intention not to revive the council. The government once again passed a counter resolution to withdraw the attempt to revive the council. As on now, despite the fact that there is a specific provision of a Legislative Council in Tamil Nadu in Article 168 of Constitution of India, there is no Legislative Council in Tamil Nadu for want of

1140-466: A year during the time the Act was in effect. The Indian Councils Act 1909 (popularly called as "Minto-Morley Reforms"), officially introduced the method of electing members to the Council. But it did not provide for direct election of the members. It abolished automatic official (executive) majorities in the Council and gave its members the power to move resolutions upon matters of general public interest and

1216-517: The German state of Bavaria had an appointed second chamber, the Senate of Bavaria , from 1946 to 1999. The Senate of the Philippines was abolished – and restored – twice: from 1935 to 1945 when a unicameral National Assembly convened, and from 1972 to 1987 when Congress was closed, and later a new constitution was approved instituting a unicameral Parliament. The Senate was re-instituted with

1292-560: The Madras High Court challenging Nirmala's nomination to the Council. MGR loaned Nirmala a sum of Rupees 4,65,000 from ADMK's party funds to pay off her creditors, so that her insolvency declaration could be annulled. The same day, Nirmala's lawyer Subramaniam Pichai, was able to persuade judge Ramalingam to set aside her insolvency. He used a provision in the Section 31 of The Presidency Towns Insolvency Act of 1909, which allowed

1368-650: The Rajya Sabha in India are nominated by various states and union territories, while 12 of them are nominated by the President of India. Similarly, at the state level, one-third of the members of the State Legislative Council (Vidhan Parishad) are nominated by local governments, one-third by sitting legislators, and the rest are elected by select members of the electorate. The United States Senate

1444-667: The Senate of Canada are appointed by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister. In the past, some upper houses had seats that were entirely hereditary, such as in the British House of Lords until 1999 and in the Japanese House of Peers until it was abolished in 1947. It is also common that the upper house consists of delegates chosen by state governments or local officials. Members of

1520-681: The University of Madras and between 27 January 1938 - 26 October 1939 in the Banqueting Hall (later renamed as Rajaji Hall ) in the Government Estate complex at Mount Road . During 1946–52, it moved back to the Fort St. George. In 1952, the strength of the assembly rose to 375, after the constitution of the first legislative assembly, and it was briefly moved into temporary premises at the government estate complex. This move

1596-460: The "Madras Legislative Council". The Council was a permanent body and was not subject to dissolution. The length of a member's term was six years and one-third of the members retired every two years. The strength of the Council was not less than 40 or more than one-third of the strength of the Assembly. The following table illustrates how the members of Council were selected: The actual strength of

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1672-711: The ADMK governments that followed the DMK governments passed counter resolutions to rescind them (in October 1991 and July 2001 respectively). The Tamil Nadu Legislative Council Bill, 2010 was approved by the Indian cabinet on 4 May 2010 and was passed by both the houses of the Indian Parliament on 5th and 6th of May, 2010 . The Tamil Nadu Legislative Council Act, 2010 received the assent of President on 18.5.2010 and published on

1748-921: The Act did nothing to address the Indian National Congress's demands for colonial self-government. The introduction of separate electorates for Muslims was viewed by the Congress as an imperial attempt at control through an elective policy of divide-and-rule. The First World War substantially changed Indian expectations for representation, with India providing substantial support for the British war effort in men, material, and money. India's sacrifice led to stronger demands, which would result in Indian Secretary Edwin Montagu announcing further constitutional reforms towards responsible government in 1917, eventually leading to

1824-470: The British parliament in the aftermath of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 . Its role and strength were later expanded by the second Council Act of 1892. Limited election was introduced in 1909. The Council became a unicameral legislative body in 1921 and eventually the upper chamber of a bicameral legislature in 1937. After India became independent in 1947, it continued to be the upper chamber of

1900-475: The Council and what to discuss. Two members of his Executive Council and the Advocate-General of Madras were also allowed to participate and vote in the Council. The Indians nominated under this Act were mostly zamindars and ryotwari landowners, who often benefited from their association with the colonial government. Supportive members were often re-nominated for several terms. G. N. Ganapathy Rao

1976-410: The Council so that Kumaraswamy Raja could become chief minister. In 1952 , C. Rajagopalachari (Rajaji) was nominated by Governor Sri Prakasa to the Council so that Rajaji could become chief minister. The third time was in 1967 when C. N. Annadurai became the chief minister first and then got himself elected to the Council. During 1861–1937, the presiding officer of the Madras Legislative Council

2052-489: The Council. P. Kesava Pillai , A. S. Krishna Rao , N. Krishnaswami Iyengar , B. N. Sarma , B. V. Narasimha Iyer , K. Perraju Pantulu , T. V. Seshagiri Iyer , P. Siva Rao , V. S. Srinivasa Sastri , P. Theagaraya Chetty and Yakub Hasan Sait were among the active members. Based on the recommendations of the Montague-Chelmsford report, the Government of India Act of 1919 was enacted. The Act enlarged

2128-627: The Fort remained the home to the legislature . In 2004, during the 12th assembly, the ADMK Government under J. Jayalalitha made unsuccessful attempts to shift the assembly (the council had been abolished by then), first to the location of Queen Mary's College and later to the Anna University campus, Guindy . Both attempts were withdrawn after public opposition. During the 13th Assembly, the DMK government led by M. Karunanidhi proposed

2204-542: The Governor and two Legislative bodies - a Legislative Assembly and a Legislative Council. The Assembly consisted of 215 members, who were further classified into general members and reserved members representing special communities and interests. The Council consisted of a minimum of 54 and a maximum of 56 members. It was a permanent body not subject to dissolution by the Governor and one-third of its members retired every three years. 46 of its members were elected directly by

2280-551: The Governor's Executive Council. Out of the 127, 98 were elected from 61 constituencies of the presidency. The constituencies comprised three arbitrary divisions - 1)communal constituencies such as non-Muhammadan urban, non-Muhammadan rural, non-Brahman urban, Mohamaddan urban, Mohamaddan rural, Indian Christian, European and Anglo-Indian 2)special constituencies such as landholders, Universities, planters and trade associations (South India Chamber of Commerce & Nattukottai Nagarathar Association) and 3) territorial constituencies. 28 of

2356-691: The Labour Government of 1999 tried to expel all hereditary peers from the Lords, the Lords threatened to wreck the Government's entire legislative agenda and to block every bill which was sent to the chamber. This standoff led to negotiations between Viscount Cranborne, the then Shadow Leader of the House, and the Labour Government, resulting in the Weatherill Amendment to the House of Lords Act 1999 , which preserved 92 hereditary peers in

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2432-509: The Madras Legislative Council, under this Act was held in November 1920. The first sitting of the Council was inaugurated by the Duke of Connaught on 12 January 1921. In total, five such councils were constituted (in 1920, 23 , 26 , 30 and 34 ). The term of the councils was three years (except for the fourth council which was extended for a year in expectation of abolition of dyarchy ). While

2508-464: The Provincial councils. It brought about the concept of "Partial Responsible Government" in the provinces. Provincial subjects were divided into two categories - reserved and transferred. Education, Sanitation, Local self-government, Agriculture and Industries were listed as the transferred subjects. Law, Finance, Revenue and Home affairs were the reserved subjects. The provincial council could decide

2584-525: The Tamil Nadu legislature was moved back to Fort St. George. List of historical locations where the Tamil Nadu Legislative Council has been housed: During its existence as the upper chamber of Tamil Nadu Legislature, the Council has been used thrice to appoint non-members of the Legislature as Chief Minister. The first time this happened was when P. S. Kumaraswamy Raja was nominated by governor Krishna Kumarsinhji Bhavsinhji to

2660-736: The abolition, while the centrist Fianna Fáil was alone among major parties in supporting the retention of the Seanad. Indian Councils Act 1909 The Indian Councils Act 1909 ( 9 Edw. 7 . c. 4), commonly known as the Morley–Minto or Minto–Morley Reforms , was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that brought about a limited increase in the involvement of Indians in the governance of British India . Named after Viceroy Lord Minto and Secretary of State John Morley ,

2736-648: The act introduced elections to legislative councils and admitted Indians to councils of the Secretary of State for India, the viceroy, and to the executive councils of Bombay and Madras states. Muslims were granted separate electorates according to the demands of the Muslim League . In 1885, the Indian National Congress was founded at Gokuldas Tejpal Sanskrit College in Bombay, gathering

2812-416: The budget and also to ask supplementary questions. There were a total of 21 elected members and 21 nominated members. The Act allowed up to 16 nominated members to be official and the remaining five were required to be non-officials. The Governor was also authorised to nominate two experts whenever necessary. As before, the Governor, his two executive council members and the Advocate-General were also members of

2888-424: The budget in so far it related to the transferred subjects. Executive machinery dealing with those subjects was placed under the direct control of provincial legislature. However, the provincial legislature and the ministers did not have any control over the reserved subjects, which came under the Governor and his Executive council. The Council had a total of 127 members in addition to the ex - officio members of

2964-732: The central legislature. Under the Act, Muslim members were to be elected by only Muslim voters, dividing the electorate. Previously, provincial councils had a majority of their members appointed from civil service officials, referred to as an "Official Majority"; with the passage of the act, this system was lifted. However, an official majority was retained on the Central Legislative Council. The elected Indians were allowed to table resolutions, debate budgetary matters, and ask supplementary questions, which they were previously prevented from doing so. Nevertheless, they were not permitted to discuss foreign policy or relations with

3040-553: The constituencies were reserved for non- Brahmans . 29 members were nominated, out of whom a maximum of 19 would be government officials, 5 would represent the Paraiyar , Pallar , Valluvar , Mala , Madiga , Sakkiliar , Thottiyar, Cheruman and Holeya communities and 1 would represent the "backward tracts". Including the Executive Council members, the total strength of the legislature was 134. The first election for

3116-486: The council and passed a resolution in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly in this regard. The first Indian Councils Act of 1861 set up the Madras Legislative Council as an advisory body through which the colonial administration obtained advice and assistance. The Act empowered the provincial Governor to nominate four non-English Indian members to the council for the first time. Under the Act,

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3192-504: The council varied from time to time. During 1952–53, it had a strength of 72. After the formation of Andhra state on 1 October 1953, its strength came down to 51. In 1956 it decreased to 50 and the next year increased again to 63 - where it remained till the council's abolition. Of those 63, local bodies and the assembly elected 21 each, the teachers and graduates elected 6 each and the remaining 9 were nominated. The Council could not pass legislation on its own - it had to approve or disapprove

3268-481: The council. Revival of the Legislative Council was one of the promises included in the election manifesto of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in the 2006 Assembly elections . The DMK won the 2006 assembly election and M. Karunanidhi became Chief minister. In his inaugural address to the 13th Legislative Assembly delivered on 24 May 2006, Governor Surjit Singh Barnala said steps will be taken to move

3344-483: The deputation from the newly founded Muslim League, which comprised numerous Muslims from all Indian provinces except for the Northwest Frontier . The Muslim League was founded to prevent the rise of an emergence of a Hindu dominated political system, and made a number of demands to Minto. They argued that the special interests of Muslims must be maintained, and pushed for the separate election of Muslims to

3420-506: The electorate while the Governor could nominate 8 to 10 members. Similar to the council, the electable members were further classified into general and reserved members. Specific number of seats were reserved (allocated) to various religious and ethnic groups. The Act provided for a limited adult franchise based on property qualifications. Seven million people, roughly 15% of the Madras people holding land or paying urban taxes were qualified to be

3496-555: The electorate. Under this Act, two councils were constituted - the first in 1937 and the second in 1946 . Both Councils were controlled by Congress majorities. After India became independent in 1947 and the Indian Constitution was adopted in 1950, the Legislative Council continued to be the upper chamber of the legislature of the Madras State - the successor to Madras Presidency. It continued to be called as

3572-536: The final plan. This sympathy to the Muslim League led to the false suspicion that the 1906 deputation had been invited by the viceroy, rather than simply received. The Act itself conferred some political reforms. Both central and provincial legislative councils were increased in size and had their memberships expanded. Local bodies would elect an electoral college, which in turn would elect the members of provincial legislatures, who in turn would elect members of

3648-437: The first, second and fourth Councils were controlled by Justice Party majorities, the third Council was characterised by a fractured verdict and an independent ministry . The fifth council also saw a fractured verdict and a minority Justice government. The Government of India Act of 1935 abolished dyarchy and ensured provincial autonomy. It created a bicameral legislature in the Madras province. The Legislature consisted of

3724-484: The following restrictions are often placed on upper houses: In parliamentary democracies and among European upper houses the Italian Senate is a notable exception to these general rules, in that it has the same powers as its lower counterpart: any law can be initiated in either house and must be approved in the same form by both houses. Additionally, a Government must have the consent of both to remain in office,

3800-467: The house. Compromise and negotiation between the two houses make the Parliament Act a very rarely used backup plan. Even without a veto, an upper house may defeat legislation. Its opposition may give the lower chamber a chance to reconsider or even abandon a controversial measure. It can also delay a bill so that it does not fit within the legislative schedule, or until a general election produces

3876-543: The lack of progress on the Congress's moderate strategy and agitated for a more assertive strategy against the British. After the Liberal Party's victory in the 1906 general election, liberal philosopher John Morley became the Secretary of State for India; Morley strove to implement the equality of opportunity promised in 1892, but also wished to 'rally the moderates' against a rising wave of radical nationalists and political terrorism. In May and June 1906, Morley and

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3952-521: The laws passed by the Assembly. In case of conflict between the Council and the Assembly, the will of the later would prevail. When Madras state was renamed as Tamil Nadu in 1968, the name of the council also changed to "Tamil Nadu Legislative Council". The legislative council was abolished in 1986 by the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) government of M. G. Ramachandran (MGR). MGR had nominated

4028-563: The legislative councils in British India; it expanded the number of members in the central and provincial councils, and permitted universities and other bodies in India to recommend and elect representatives. However, the government continued to approve many bills despite strong Indian opposition; additionally, it did not give members control over the budget, as they were only allowed to debate it, not vote on it. Unhappy with such minor concessions, many Indian National Congress members blamed

4104-520: The legislature of Madras State , one of the successor states to the Madras Presidency. It was renamed as the Tamil Nadu Legislative Council when the state was renamed as Tamil Nadu in 1969. The Council was abolished by the M. G. Ramachandran administration on 1 November 1986. In 1989, 1996 and 2010, the DMK regime headed by M. Karunanidhi tried to revive the Council. The former AIADMK regime (2016-2021) expressed its intention not to revive

4180-442: The members was fixed at two years. The Council could also discuss the annual financial statement and ask questions subject to certain limitations. Thirty eight Indian members were "nominated" in the eight elections during 1893-1909 when this Act was in effect. C. Jambulingam Mudaliar , N. Subba Rao Pantulu , P. Kesava Pillai and C. Vijayaraghavachariar representing southern group of district boards, Kruthiventi Perraju Pantulu of

4256-611: The moderate Congress leader Gokhale discussed the Congress's demands for reforming the Secretary of State's Council, the executive councils of the viceroy and governors, and the legislative councils. In July 1906, during a speech on the Indian Budget in the House of Commons, Morley announced that he would consider proposals on reform. This spurred leaders of the Muslim League to send the Simla Deputation to advocate for Muslim interests. On 1 October 1906 Minto received

4332-517: The necessary constitutional amendments for reviving the council. On 12 April 2010, the Legislative Assembly passed a resolution seeking to revive the Council. The DMK's earlier attempts to revive the council, when it was in power during 1989–91 and 1996-2001 were not successful, as it did not possess both the two-thirds majority in the Legislative Assembly and a friendly union government necessary for it to be done. On both occasions,

4408-473: The nominated members were allowed to move their own bills and vote on bills introduced in the council. However, they were not allowed to question the executive, move resolutions or examine the budget. Also they could not interfere with the laws passed by the Central Legislature. The Governor was also the president of the Council and he had complete authority over when, where and how long to convene

4484-605: The northern group of municipalities, C. Sankaran Nair and P. Rangaiah Naidu from the Corporation of Madras and P. S. Sivaswami Iyer , V. Krishnaswamy Iyer and M. Krishnan Nair from the University of Madras were some of the active members. However, over a period of time, representation by Indian members dwindled, for example, the position of Bashyam Iyengar and Sankaran Nayar in 1902 was occupied by Acworth and Sir George Moore. The council did not meet more than 9 days in

4560-457: The passage of most bills, but it must be given an opportunity to debate them and propose amendments, and can thereby delay the passage of a bill with which it disagrees. Bills can only be delayed for up to one year before the Commons can use the Parliament Act, although economic bills can only be delayed for one month. The House of Lords is sometimes seen as having a special role of safeguarding

4636-424: The powers of upper houses relative to their lower counterparts. Some upper houses have been fully abolished; others have had their powers reduced by constitutional or legislative amendments. Also, conventions often exist that the upper house ought not to obstruct the business of government for frivolous or merely partisan reasons. These conventions have tended to harden with a passage of time. In presidential systems,

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4712-492: The presiding officer was called as the "Chairman of the Council". The following table lists the presiding officers of the Council. Upper house An upper house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature , the other chamber being the lower house . The house formally designated as the upper house is usually smaller and often has more restricted power than the lower house. A legislature composed of only one house (and which therefore has neither an upper house nor

4788-413: The princely states were. The British executive also retained an absolute veto over all legislation. After the passage of the Act, Morley appointed two Indian members to his council Whitehall , and also persuaded the viceroy Lord Minto to appoint the first Indian member to the viceroy's Executive Council, Satyendra P. Sinha . Though the Act did increase Indian participation in the legislative councils,

4864-574: The provincial councils and requiring the election of a sufficient number of Muslims to the Imperial Legislative Council to avoid reducing Muslims to an insignificant minority Minto encouraged the foundation of the League as a rival organization to the Indian National Congress, and promised to the deputation that they would give consideration to Muslim demands. Like the Muslim League, British administrators also sought to prevent

4940-558: The provincial legislative councils and increased the strength of elected members to be greater than that of nominated and official members. It introduced a system of dyarchy in the Provinces. Although this Act brought about representative Government in India, the Governor was empowered with overriding powers. It classified the subjects as belonging to either the Centre or the Provinces. The Governor General could override any law passed by

5016-429: The restoration of a bicameral Congress via a constitutional amendment in 1941, and via adoption of a new constitution in 1987. A previous government of Ireland (the 31st Dáil) promised a referendum on the abolition of its upper house , the Seanad Éireann , during the 24th Seanad session. By a narrow margin, the Irish public voted to retain it. Conservative-leaning Fine Gael and Left-leaning Sinn Féin both supported

5092-430: The rise of an Indian majority in the legislature, and persuaded Minto of the danger of Muslim discontent to British rule and that the League's demands were representative of most Indian Muslims' wishes. Morley expressed a desire for reconciliation between territorial representation and Muslim demands, but with the support of Herbert Risley , the Home Secretary, separate Muslim electorates were successfully implemented in

5168-415: The same day. Accordingly, Constituencies for the new house were identified in September 2010. Work on preparation of electoral rolls for them began in October 2010 and was completed by January 2011. However, in February 2011, the Supreme Court of India stayed the elections to the new council, till the petitions challenging its revival could be heard. In the 2011 Assembly elections, the AIADMK came out with

5244-419: The services were exclusively held in Great Britain and were open only to male applicants between the ages of 17 and 22 (this was later changed to a range of 17 to 19 in 1878). British administrators' reluctance to accept Indians into the civil service only further closed administrative positions to Indians. In the face of growing Indian demands, the Indian Councils Act of 1892 introduced several reforms to

5320-443: The uncodified Constitution of the United Kingdom and important civil liberties against ill-considered change. The House of Lords has a number of ways to block legislation and to reject it; however, the House of Commons can eventually use the Parliament Act to force something through. The Commons will often accept amendments passed by the Lords; however, the two houses have sometimes reached a constitutional standoff. For example, when

5396-526: The upper house is frequently given other powers to compensate for its restrictions: There are a variety of ways an upper house's members are assembled: by direct or indirect election, appointment or a mixture of these. Many upper houses are not directly elected but appointed: either by the head of state, by the head of government or in some other way. This is usually intended to produce a house of experts or otherwise distinguished citizens, who would not necessarily be returned in an election. For example, members of

5472-867: Was chosen by state legislatures until the passage of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913. The upper house may be directly elected but in different proportions to the lower house - for example, the senates of Australia, Brazil and the United States have a fixed number of elected members from each state, regardless of the population. Many jurisdictions once possessed upper houses but abolished them to adopt unicameral systems, including Croatia , Denmark , Estonia , Hungary , Iceland , Iran , Mauritania , New Zealand , Peru , Sweden , Turkey , Venezuela , many Indian states , Brazilian states , Canadian provinces , subnational entities such as Queensland , and some other jurisdictions. Newfoundland had

5548-482: Was eighteen. The Governor preferred to convene the Council at his summer retreat Udagamandalam , much to the displeasure of the Indian members. The few times when the Council met, it was for only a few hours with bills and resolutions being rushed through. In 1892, the role of the Council was expanded by the Indian Councils Act of 1892. The Act increased the number of additional members of the Council to

5624-486: Was known as the "President of the Council". From its establishment in 1861 till dyarchy was introduced in 1921, the Governor of Madras was also the President of the Council. After dyarchy introduced, the first and second council presidents, Perungavalur Rajagopalachari and L. D. Swamikannu Pillai , were appointed by the Governor himself. The presidents who came after them were chosen by the Council itself. During 1937–86,

5700-539: Was made in March 1952, as the existing assembly building only had a seating capacity of 260. Then on 3 May 1952, it moved into the newly constructed assembly building in the same complex. The legislature functioned from the new building (later renamed as Kalaivanar Arangam during 1952–56. However, with the reorganisation of states and formation of Andhra, the strength came down to 190 and the legislature moved back to Fort St. George in 1956. From December 1956 till January 2010,

5776-403: Was nominated eight times, Humayun Jah Bahadur was a member for 23 years, T. Rama Rao and P. Chentsal Rao were members for six years each. Other prominent members during the period included V. Bhashyam Aiyangar , S. Subramania Iyer and C. Sankaran Nair . The Council met infrequently and in some years (1874 and 1892) was not convened even once. The maximum of number of times it met in a year

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