Article 204 of Constitution of India – Appropriation Bills
Article 204 of Constitution of India deals with Appropriation Bills
Original Text of Article 204 of Constitution of India
(1) As soon as may be after the grants under article 203 have been made by the Assembly, there shall be introduced a Bill to provide for the appropriation out of the Consolidated Fund of the State of all moneys required to meet—
(a) the grants so made by the Assembly; and
(b) the expenditure charged on the Consolidated Fund of the State but not exceeding in any case the amount shown in the statement previously laid before the House or Houses.
(2) No amendment shall be proposed to any such Bill in the House or either House of the Legislature of the State which will have the effect of varying the amount or altering the destination of any grant so made or of varying the amount of any expenditure charged on the Consolidated Fund of the State, and the decision of the person presiding as to whether an amendment is inadmissible under this clause shall be final.
(3) Subject to the provisions of articles 205 and 206, no money shall be withdrawn from the Consolidated Fund of the State except under appropriation made by law passed in accordance with the provisions of this article.
Questions related to Article 204 of Constitution of India
Article 204 provides for the introduction and passage of Appropriation Bills in the State Legislature to authorize the withdrawal of money from the Consolidated Fund of the State, as per the Constitution of India.
The Appropriation Bill can only be introduced in the Legislative Assembly (the lower house), and only on the recommendation of the Governor, according to the Articles of Indian Constitution.
It includes all grants voted by the Assembly and expenditures charged on the Consolidated Fund of the State, consolidating the financial approvals into one bill, as mentioned in Article 204.
No, once the demands for grants are voted, the Appropriation Bill is merely a formal authorization, and the Assembly cannot amend the amounts or purpose again, which is confirmed in case laws on Indian Kanoon.
You can explore Indian Kanoon for judgments, legal analyses, and state finance-related rulings that interpret Article 204 of the Indian Constitution and its implementation in budgeting.
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