CHAPTER III.—THE FEDERAL LEGISLATURE.
General.
18. Constitution of the Federal Legislature.—(1) There shall be a Federal Legislature which shall consist of His Majesty, represented by the Governor-General, and two Chambers to be known respectively as the Council of State and the House of Assembly (in this Act referred to as "the Federal Assembly").
(2) The Council of State shall consist of one hundred and fifty-six representatives of British India and not more than one hundred and four representatives of the Indian States, and the Federal Assembly shall consist of two hundred and fifty representatives of British India and not more than one hundred and twenty-five representatives of the Indian States.
(3) The said Representatives shall be chosen in accordance with the provisions in that behalf contained in the First Schedule to this Act.
(4) The Council of State shall be a permanent body not subject to dissolution, but as near as may be one-third of the members thereof shall retire in every third year in accordance with the provisions in that behalf contained in the said First Schedule.
(5) Every Federal Assembly, unless sooner dissolved, shall continue for five years from the date appointed for their first meeting and no longer, and the expiration of the said period of five years shall operate as a dissolution of the Assembly.
19. Sessions of the Legislature, prorogation and dissolution.—(1) The Chambers of the Federal Legislature shall be summoned to meet once at least in every year, and twelve months shall not intervene between their last sitting in one session and the date appointed for their first sitting in the next session.
(2) Subject to the provisions of this section, the Governor-General may in his discretion from time to time—
(a) summon the Chambers or either Chamber to meet at such time and place as he thinks fit;
(b) prorogue the Chambers;
(c) dissolve the Federal Assembly.
(3) The Chambers shall be summoned to meet for their first session on a day not later than such day as may be specified in that behalf in His Majesty's Proclamation establishing the Federation.
20. Right of Govenor-General to address, and send messages to, Chambers.—(1) The Governor-General may in his discretion address either Chamber of the Federal Legislature or both Chambers assembled together, and for that purpose require the attendance of members.
(2) The Governor-General may in his discretion send messages to either Chamber of the Federal Legislature, whether with respect to a Bill then pending in the Legislature or otherwise, and a Chamber to whom any message is so sent shall with all convenient dispatch consider any matter which they are required by the message to take into consideration.
21. Rights of ministers, counsellors and Advocate-General as respects Chambers.—Every minister, every counsellor and the Advocate-General shall have the right to speak in, and otherwise to take part in the proceedings of, either Chamber, any joint sitting of the Chambers, and any committee of the Legislature of which he may be named a member, but, shall not by virtue of this section be entitled to vote.
22. Officers of Chambers.—(1) The Council of State shall; as soon as may be, choose two members of the Council to be respectively President and Deputy President thereof and, so often as the office of President or Deputy President becomes vacant, the Council shall choose another member to be President or Deputy President, as the case may be.
(2) A member holding office as President or Deputy President of the Council of State shall vacate his office if he ceases to be a member of the Council, may at
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