Which one of the following statements is correct?

Which one of the following statements is correct?

A Bill can be taken up in a joint sitting of the Houses notwithstanding the dissolution of the Lok Sabha.
A Bill cannot be taken up in a joint sitting of the Houses after Lok Sabha is dissolved.
Joint session cannot be convened by the President after dissolution of Lok Sabha even though the President notified his intention to summon the Joint Sitting of the Houses.
There is express provision in the Constitution regarding the effect of dissolution on a Bill which has been passed by the two Houses and sent to the President for assent.
This question was previously asked in
UPSC SO-Steno – 2017
Statement A is incorrect. A Bill can only be taken up in a joint sitting if it has not lapsed. Bills that cause typical deadlocks and originate in one House pending in the other often lapse upon dissolution.
Statement B is generally true for most common scenarios where a joint sitting might be required, as the Bill causing the deadlock would have lapsed.
Statement C is incorrect. Article 108(5) explicitly states that if the President has notified his intention to summon a joint sitting *before* the dissolution of the Lok Sabha, the joint sitting *can* be held and the Bill passed, *notwithstanding* the dissolution, provided the Bill has not lapsed under Article 107.
Statement D is correct. Article 107(5) is the express provision in the Constitution regarding the effect of dissolution on a Bill which has been passed by the two Houses and sent to the President for assent. It states that such a Bill *shall not lapse*.
Article 107(5) provides that Bills passed by both Houses and pending Presidential assent or returned for reconsideration do not lapse upon dissolution. Article 108(5) provides a specific condition under which a joint sitting *can* be held after dissolution if notified before, provided the Bill has not lapsed. Statement D correctly identifies the presence of an express provision concerning Bills passed by both Houses and pending assent.
The interrelationship between dissolution of Lok Sabha, lapse of Bills (Article 107), and Joint Sittings (Article 108) is a complex area of constitutional law and parliamentary practice.
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