Under the Constitution of India, which of the following officials can participate in the proceedings of both Houses of Parliament without being a member of either House?

Introduction / Context: The Constitution of India creates several important offices that interact with Parliament, including legal advisers and audit authorities. One of these offices has a special right to participate in the proceedings of both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, even though the office holder is not a member of either House. This question tests your knowledge of that constitutional provision, which is relevant for understanding how legal advice reaches the legislature. Given Data / Assumptions:

• The offices listed are Solicitor General, Attorney General, and Comptroller and Auditor General.
• The question is about participation in parliamentary proceedings without being a member.
• We assume familiarity with the basic roles of these constitutional or statutory officers.

Concept / Approach: Article 76 of the Constitution of India establishes the Attorney General of India as the chief legal adviser to the Government of India. The Attorney General has the right to speak in and otherwise participate in the proceedings of both Houses of Parliament and in any parliamentary committee of which he or she may be named a member, but does not have the right to vote. This is a special privilege that does not extend in the same form to the Solicitor General or the Comptroller and Auditor General. Therefore, the correct approach is to identify the Attorney General as the office that fits the description. Step-by-Step Solution: Step 1: Recall that the Attorney General of India is mentioned in the Constitution and is appointed by the President. Step 2: Remember that the Attorney General has the right to take part in the proceedings of Parliament, including speaking and giving legal advice, but does not have a vote. Step 3: Look at option B, which names the Attorney General of India. This matches the constitutional description. Step 4: Consider option A, the Solicitor General, who is a senior law officer but is not given this specific constitutional right to participate in Parliament. Step 5: Option C, the Comptroller and Auditor General, is an independent audit authority who submits reports to Parliament but does not participate in debates as a member or quasi member. Step 6: Option D, all of the above, is therefore incorrect because only one of the listed officers has this right. Step 7: Select the Attorney General of India as the correct answer. Verification / Alternative check: You can verify this by reading the text of Article 76 or standard polity summaries, which clearly state that the Attorney General has the right to speak and participate in the proceedings of both Houses and their committees. These sources do not extend the same participation rights to the Solicitor General or the Comptroller and Auditor General, confirming that only the Attorney General fits the question.

Why Other Options Are Wrong: Option A is wrong because the Solicitor General is a law officer appointed to assist the Attorney General but does not have constitutional status as an officer of Parliament. Option C is incorrect because the Comptroller and Auditor General functions as an external auditor, submitting reports that are examined by parliamentary committees but does not directly take part in debates. Option D is therefore also wrong because it wrongly groups all three offices together.

Common Pitfalls: A frequent mistake is to assume that any high level legal or audit official automatically has a right to sit in Parliament. In reality, the Constitution is very specific about which office enjoys this privilege. Another pitfall is confusing the Attorney General of India with the Advocate General of a state. The Advocate General has similar rights in the state legislature, while the Attorney General has them at the Union level.

Final Answer: The official who can participate in the proceedings of both Houses of Parliament without being a member is the Attorney General of India.