How many joint sittings of the Houses have been convened so far?
Answer. So far, joint sittings of the two Houses have taken place on three occasions. The first joint sitting was held on 6 and 9 May 1961, following disagreement between the two Houses over certain amendments to the Dowry Prohibition Bill, 1959. The second joint sitting was held on 16 May, 1978, following rejection by the Rajya Sabha of the Banking Service Commission (Repeal) Bill, 1977. The third joint sitting was held on 26 March 2002 when the motion to consider the Prevention of Terrorism Bill, 2002, seeking to replace the Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance (POTO) as passed by the Lok Sabha was rejected by the Rajya Sabha. This sitting was held for the purpose of deliberating and voting on the Prevention of Terrorism Bill, 2002.
