With reference to the Legislative Assembly of a State in India, consider the following statements:

1. The Governor makes a customary address to Members of the House at the commencement of the first session of the year.
2. When a State Legislature does’ not have a rule on a particular matter, it follows the Lok Sabha rule on that matter.

Which of the statements given above is / are correct?

Statement 1 is correct: According to Article 176(1) of the Constitution of India, the Governor addresses both houses of the legislature at the commencement of the first session after each general election and at the commencement of the first session of each year. The Governor informs the legislature of the reasons for its summons.

Statement 2 is correct: Article 208 allows a State Legislature to create rules of procedure. However, until such rules are made, the rules of procedure and standing orders in force before the commencement of the Constitution (related to the corresponding Province's Legislature) apply, subject to modifications by the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly or the Chairman of the Legislative Council. This implies that in the absence of specific rules, State Legislatures follow the Lok Sabha rules.

Both statements 1 and 2 are correct.

Sources:

• aplegislature.org - Governor's Address
• Indian Kanoon - Article 208 of the Constitution