PRS Annual Review of State Laws 2025: Key Findings on the Functioning of State Legislatures in India

The Annual Review of State Laws 2025, released by PRS Legislative Research, provides a comprehensive assessment of the functioning of state legislatures across India. The report examines legislative performance in 27 states and three Union Territories (Delhi, Jammu & Kashmir, and Puducherry) during 2025, highlighting trends in lawmaking, legislative scrutiny, accountability, and governance.

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¨     The report analysed the functioning of 27 State Legislative Assemblies and three Union Territory legislatures (Delhi, Jammu & Kashmir, and Puducherry) during 2025.

¨     Manipur was excluded as it remained under President’s Rule for most of the year.

¨     The report examined key legislative functions such as law-making, budget scrutiny, committee oversight, ordinance-making, and mechanisms for executive accountability.

¨     The findings have reignited concerns about the quality of legislative scrutiny, executive accountability, and the deliberative role of State Legislatures in a federal democracy.

Key Findings of the Report

Legislative Sittings Remain Low

¨     State Assemblies met for an average of 24 days in 2025, a modest improvement from 21 days in 2024 and 23 days in 2023.

¨     There was considerable variation across states, with Odisha recording the highest number of sittings (43 days), and Nagaland recording the lowest (7 days).

¨     Despite some states having prescribed minimum sitting-day requirements, only Himachal Pradesh met its mandated target.

¨     Over the five-year period (2021–25), Kerala (41 days), Odisha (39 days), and Karnataka (37 days) recorded the highest average sittings.

¨     The lowest average number of sittings was recorded by Nagaland (8 days) and Tripura (9 days).

More Bills Passed in Less Time

¨     State Legislatures passed over 600 Bills in 2025 (averaging 22 Bills per Assembly), an increase from about 500 Bills passed in 2024.

¨     Karnataka passed the highest number of Bills (84 Bills) in just 34 sitting days, while Assam passed 60 Bills in 21 sitting days.

¨     Around 30% of Bills were passed on the same day they were introduced, raising concerns regarding legislative scrutiny.

¨     Seven Assemblies—Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Mizoram, Puducherry and Punjab—passed all Bills either on the day of introduction or the following day.

Weak Committee Scrutiny

¨     Legislative Committees, considered the backbone of detailed law-making, remained underutilised.

¨     In the six states where data were available, only 5% of Bills were referred to Committees for examination.

¨     Kerala stood out by referring 25 Bills to Subject Committees, while committee reports were eventually tabled for 90% of referred Bills.

Budget Oversight Remains Limited

¨     State Legislatures spent an average of only eight days discussing annual Budgets.

¨     Tamil Nadu devoted the highest time, spending more than 20 days on budget discussions.

¨     Assam, Himachal Pradesh, and Jharkhand passed more than 70% of their expenditure demands without discussion, highlighting weak financial scrutiny.

Growing Reliance on Ordinances

¨     States promulgated 127 Ordinances in 2025, compared to 100 Ordinances in 2024.

¨     About 31% of these Ordinances related to local governance, followed by education and labour-related matters.

Institutional Concerns

¨     As of May 2026, eight State/UT Legislatures did not have a Deputy Speaker, despite Article 178 requiring the election of both a Speaker and Deputy Speaker as soon as possible.

¨     In Jharkhand, the post has remained vacant for over 20 years, while the current Assembly in Uttar Pradesh has not elected one after four years of its term.

Concerns / Implications

¨     Declining Deliberative Function: The passage of nearly one-third of Bills on the day of introduction raises concerns about inadequate debate, stakeholder consultation, and informed law-making.

¨     Weak Legislative Oversight: Fewer sitting days reduce opportunities for Question Hour, discussions, and motions, thereby weakening the Assembly’s role in holding the executive accountable.

¨     Limited Financial Scrutiny: The practice of passing large portions of budgetary demands without discussion undermines legislative control over public expenditure and fiscal accountability.

¨     Underutilisation of Committees: Low referral of Bills to Committees diminishes expert scrutiny and evidence-based policy-making, affecting the quality of legislation.