Article 114

Appropriation Bills and Parliamentary Authorization

Official heading: “Appropriation Bills”

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Source edition: The Constitution of India (as on 1 May 2026)
Source locator: Part V, Article 114, printed page 53
Last human source-link check: Not yet checked
Last human legal review: Not yet reviewed

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1. In One Sentence

Article 114 mandates that no money can be withdrawn from the Consolidated Fund of India without the enactment of an Appropriation Act by Parliament.

2. What It Means in Everyday Language

Article 114 enshrines the supreme constitutional rule of democratic public finance: the executive government cannot withdraw or spend a single rupee from the Consolidated Fund of India without express statutory authorization.

Once the Lok Sabha votes on the demands for grants under Article 113, a formal legislative bill known as the 'Appropriation Bill' must be introduced.

This bill authorizes the withdrawal from the Consolidated Fund of all moneys required to meet both the voted grants and the charged expenditures.

Clause (2) prohibits any amendment to an Appropriation Bill that would alter the amount or destination of any grant or vary the amount of charged expenditure, preventing redundant reopening of settled budget debates.

Clause (3) provides the operative prohibition: no money shall be withdrawn from the Consolidated Fund of India except under appropriation made by law passed in accordance with this article.

3. Practical Illustrative Example

Everyday Scenario:

The Union Ministry of Transport seeks to deploy funds for emergency highway repairs after the budget has been discussed but before the Appropriation Act is passed.

Core takeaway: Under Article 114(3), the Treasury cannot disburse funds from the Consolidated Fund until the Appropriation Bill is formally enacted into law.

Illustrative Notice: To bridge temporary cash-flow needs before the full Appropriation Act passes, Parliament utilizes Votes on Account under Article 116.

4. Important Limits, Qualifications & Exceptions

Article 114 establishes the strict statutory basis for all government disbursements.

Constitutional lock on public funds: No withdrawal without an enacted Appropriation Act.
Consolidates voted grants and charged expenditure into enforceable law.
Prohibits disruptive amendments altering grant amounts during Appropriation Bill consideration.
Core constitutional safeguard against executive financial abuse.

5. Operative Constitutional Text

(1) As soon as may be after the grants under article 113 have been made by the House of the People, there shall be introduced a Bill to provide for the appropriation out of the Consolidated Fund of India of all moneys required to meet— (a) the grants so made by the House of the People; and (b) the expenditure charged on the Consolidated Fund of India but not exceeding in any case the amount shown in the statement previously laid before Parliament. (2) No amendment shall be proposed to any such Bill in either House of Parliament 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 India, 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 115 and 116, no money shall be withdrawn from the Consolidated Fund of India except under appropriation made by law passed in accordance with the provisions of this article.

Transcription for reference; compare with the linked official editionNot yet verified by a human legal reviewer

6. Sources & Historical Assembly Deliberations

Assembly quotations are withheld until wording, dates, and attribution have been checked against the primary record.

Sources & Citation Metadata

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Constitutional TextThe Constitution of India (as on 1 May 2026)Cited PDF page
Government of India (Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice) • Part V, Article 114, printed page 53 • Human source-link check pending
Primary PDF accessed and transcribed with AI assistance on 14 October 2026. Formatting and amendment annotation markers are omitted; operative wording is retained. This is not human legal review. Later amendments and commencement notifications have not been comprehensively checked.

Human legal review is pending; compare the text with the cited editionNon-partisan educational resource