Article 115

Supplementary, Additional or Excess Grants

Official heading: “Supplementary, additional or excess grants”

Check this article against the official editionAwaiting human legal review

Source edition: The Constitution of India (as on 1 May 2026)
Source locator: Part V, Article 115, printed pages 53–54
Last human source-link check: Not yet checked
Last human legal review: Not yet reviewed

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1. In One Sentence

Article 115 establishes the constitutional procedure for obtaining parliamentary sanction when authorized budget expenditure proves insufficient, unanticipated needs arise, or excess funds have been spent.

2. What It Means in Everyday Language

Article 115 provides financial flexibility for unforeseen circumstances during the governance cycle. An annual budget is an estimate; actual financial reality may require additional resources.

Clause (1)(a) governs Supplementary or Additional Grants: if the amount authorized under the Appropriation Act proves insufficient for a particular service, or if a need arises for unexpected expenditure upon a new service not contemplated in the budget, the President causes another statement of estimated expenditure to be laid before Parliament.

Clause (1)(b) governs Excess Grants: if money has been spent on any service in excess of the amount granted for that service, the President causes a demand for such excess to be presented to the Lok Sabha.

Clause (2) applies the full constitutional procedures of Articles 112, 113, and 114 to these supplementary grants, ensuring that additional appropriations receive regular parliamentary scrutiny.

3. Practical Illustrative Example

Everyday Scenario:

A catastrophic cyclone requires unexpected national disaster relief spending far beyond the annual allocations voted in the budget.

Core takeaway: The President presents a supplementary financial statement to Parliament under Article 115, and Parliament enacts a Supplementary Appropriation Act.

Illustrative Notice: Excess spending already incurred must be audited by the CAG and scrutinized by the Public Accounts Committee before formal parliamentary regularization.

4. Important Limits, Qualifications & Exceptions

Article 115 balances fiscal flexibility with mandatory retrospective parliamentary accountability.

Authorizes supplementary funding for under-budgeted existing services.
Allows funding for entirely new services arising mid-year.
Requires parliamentary regularization of excess expenditure.
Applies standard budget voting and Appropriation Bill mechanics.

5. Operative Constitutional Text

(1) The President shall— (a) if the amount authorised by any law made in accordance with the provisions of article 114 to be expended for a particular service for the current financial year is found to be insufficient for the purposes of that year or when a need has arisen during the current financial year for supplementary or additional expenditure upon some new service not contemplated in the annual financial statement for that year; or (b) if any money has been spent on any service during a financial year in excess of the amount granted for that service and for that year, cause to be laid before both the Houses of Parliament another statement showing the estimated amount of that expenditure or cause to be presented to the House of the People a demand for such excess, as the case may be. (2) The provisions of articles 112, 113 and 114 shall have effect in relation to any such statement and expenditure or demand and also to any law to be made authorising the appropriation of moneys out of the Consolidated Fund of India to meet such expenditure or the grant in respect of such demand as they have effect in relation to the annual financial statement and the expenditure mentioned therein or to a demand for a grant and the law to be made for the authorisation of appropriation of moneys out of the Consolidated Fund of India to meet such expenditure or grant.

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 115, printed pages 53–54 • 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