Key Findings

• Declined in Average Number of Sitting Days: from 28 in 2017 to 20 in 2024. 11 states met the requirement under Article 174 through short sessions that lasted for 1 or 2 days.
  • Article 174 of the Constitution requires state legislatures to meet at least once every 6 months. 
  • A Constitution review committee recommended minimum annual sittings of 50 days for smaller legislatures (less than 70 members) and 90 days for larger ones.
• Limited Debate: States passed an average of 17 Bills in 2024; however, 51% of bills were passed within a day of introduction.
  • Only 4% of Bills passed in 2024 were referred to a Committee for detailed examination.
• Absence of Speaker & Deputy Speaker (Article 178): As of April 2025, 8 states/UTs had no Deputy Speaker. Jharkhand has not elected a Deputy Speaker for over 20 years.
• Delay in Assent to Bills: In 2024, 18% of Bills took over 3 months to receive assent. E.g., Himachal Pradesh, 72% of Bills delayed.
  • Article 200 requires the Governor to assent, return, or reserve Bills without undue delay.

Implications 

• Rushed Lawmaking: Limited debate leads to weak, unclear, or poorly implemented laws.
• Democratic Deficit: Lack of transparency & limited discussion can erode public trust in legislative institutions & democratic processes.
• Governance Gaps: Delays or weak laws cause confusion, policy inconsistency, and poor service delivery.