Censure motion

Topic: Parliamentary Procedure, Committees and Privileges · NCERT: Beyond NCERT

Meaning

A censure motion is a motion moved in the Lok Sabha only to formally blame the Council of Ministers, one minister or a group of ministers for specific policies or actions. It must state the reasons for the blame [3]. If it passes, the government does not have to resign, but it must answer the charges.

It matters because it lets the House criticise particular wrongdoing without bringing down the whole government. It is also often confused with the no-confidence motion.

Explanation

How it works

• Step 1, Notice: a member gives notice of the motion. The notice must clearly state the reasons for the censure, meaning the policy or action being blamed.
• Step 2, Admission: the Speaker must admit the motion before it can be taken up.
• Step 3, Debate: the House debates the charges. The government defends its policy or action.
• Step 4, Vote: the Chair puts the question to the House. It is decided by a simple majority (more than half of the members present and voting, Art. 100).
• Step 5, Result:
• If passed: the House has formally blamed the government or minister. The government need not resign, but it must answer the charges.
• If defeated: nothing changes.

Whom it can target

• The whole Council of Ministers.
• One minister.
• A group of ministers.
• A no-confidence motion is different. It can be moved only against the whole Council of Ministers.

Conditions and limits

• Lok Sabha only: a censure motion cannot be moved in the Rajya Sabha [3].
• Reason: censure means holding the government to account. Under collective responsibility (all ministers stand or fall together, Art. 75(3)), the government answers only to the Lok Sabha.

• The same reason applies to the adjournment motion and the no-confidence motion. All three are allowed only in the Lok Sabha [3].

• Reasons are compulsory. A censure motion targets specific acts, so it must name them. A no-confidence motion needs no reasons [2].

• It is a substantive motion (a complete proposal that stands on its own). It also deals with the conduct of persons in high authority, which can be discussed only on a substantive motion in proper terms [4].
• Limited effect: the government can stay in office after losing it. Its force is political and moral, not legal.

In the Constitution and practice

• Not named in the Constitution. The word "censure motion" does not appear in the constitutional text. The motion comes from the Rules of Procedure of the Lok Sabha.
• Constitutional basis: Art. 75(3). The Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha only. This is why censure can come only from the Lok Sabha [3].
• Who uses it: mainly the Opposition, to put on record that the House disapproves of a particular policy, decision or minister.
• Place among accountability tools:

Tool	What passing it means
Adjournment motion (Rules 56-63, needs 50 members)	Its passing implies censure of the government [3]
Censure motion	Open, formal blame for stated acts; government need not resign
No-confidence motion (Rule 198, needs 50 members)	Whole government must resign (Art. 75(3)) [1][2]

• Rajya Sabha has no censure motion. Its nearest tools are:
• the Rule 267 suspension of business, which has been admitted only about six times in 36 years [5];
• amending the Motion of Thanks (Art. 87). The Rajya Sabha did this 5 times (1980, 1989, 2001, 2015, 2016). This showed disapproval but did not bring the government down [3].

Don't confuse with

• No-confidence motion: needs no reasons [2], targets only the whole Council of Ministers and needs 50 members (Rule 198) [1][2]. If passed, the government must resign. A censure motion must state reasons, can target one minister, and does not force resignation.
• Confidence motion: moved by the government itself to prove it has a majority. If defeated, the government must resign [2]. A censure motion is moved against the government, usually by the Opposition.
• Adjournment motion: sets aside the House's business to discuss a definite, urgent matter of public importance. It needs 50 members and at least 2½ hours of debate. Its passing only implies censure. A censure motion blames the government openly and directly.
• Amended Motion of Thanks in the Rajya Sabha: shows the government lacks a majority in the Rajya Sabha, but it is not a censure motion. The Rajya Sabha cannot move one [3].

Prelims Hooks

• A censure motion can be moved only in the Lok Sabha, as can the adjournment and no-confidence motions [3]. Trap: "A censure motion can be moved in either House" is wrong.
• A censure motion must state reasons. A no-confidence motion need not [2].
• A censure motion can be moved against an individual minister or a group of ministers. A no-confidence motion can be moved only against the whole Council of Ministers.
• If a censure motion passes, the government need not resign. If a no-confidence motion passes, the whole government must resign (Art. 75(3)).
• The basis for both motions is Art. 75(3): collective responsibility to the Lok Sabha only. The term "censure motion" itself comes from the Rules of Procedure, not the Constitution.
• No-confidence motion = Rule 198, 50 members, normally taken up within 10 days [2]. Do not carry these figures over to the censure motion.

Mains Points

• A precise but weak tool of accountability.
• It lets the House blame a specific policy or minister without bringing down the whole government. This suits targeted criticism.

• But the government need not resign. With a stable majority it can defeat the motion or ignore its result. As with no-confidence motions, none of which has ever been carried, the real value lies in the debate, which forces the government to answer on the record [2].

• Accountability is centred on the Lok Sabha.

• Censure, adjournment and no-confidence motions are all barred in the Rajya Sabha because ministers answer only to the Lok Sabha (Art. 75(3)) [3].

• The Rajya Sabha's main substitute, Rule 267, is rarely admitted [5]. This leads to walkouts and disruption. Reform: set clear rules for admitting such notices, or give the Rajya Sabha fixed time for short-duration discussions.

• Individual ministerial responsibility.

• A censure motion is the only motion that can single out one minister. It can therefore uphold individual responsibility alongside collective responsibility.
• Whether a censured minister then resigns depends on political convention, not law. This leaves the outcome to the Prime Minister and the ruling party.

Related concepts

• Substantive motion
• Closure motion
• Closure by compartments
• Kangaroo closure
• Motion of thanks
• Adjournment motion
• Suspension of business motion
• No-confidence motion
• Confidence motion
• Resolution

Read more

• Motions and resolutions: from debate to confidence