State legislatures are in a rush, spend little time in scrutinising Bills

Their record in debating and scrutinising legislation and Budgets is weak as Governors are accused of stalling

A landmark Supreme Court judgment in April set a timeline for state Governors to decide on Bills sent to them by legislatures, mandating a response within specific timelines. Last week, President Droupadi Murmu, in a rare move, asked the court whether it can fix timelines for Governors and the President to clear state Bills under Article 201 of the Constitution.

 

The court’s judgment came amid concerns about Governors sitting on legislation and stalling state governments. But if Governors are being blamed for delaying Bills, most state legislatures are in a rush. Many of them have truncated debates, rushed Budget approvals and little scrutiny of critical financial allocations.

 

Last year, almost three out of every four state legislatures wrapped up Budget and ministry expenditure discussions in just 10 days. As many as 46.4 per cent of states completed deliberations in two to five days, according to calculations by PRS Legislative Research and ‘Business Standard’. As many as 35.7 per cent completed deliberations in six to 10 days. Only 7.2 per cent extended the process to 11-15 days, while 10.7 per cent went beyond 16 days. Kerala and Goa stood out for spending 18 days to discuss their Budgets, followed by Odisha (16), Gujarat (14), and Rajasthan (13). Six states, including Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Telangana, discussed and passed their Budgets in just two days. 

 

The rush is greater in reviewing ministry-wise expenditure — arguably one of the most vital aspects of Budget scrutiny. In 21 states, the time gap between the general Budget and ministry-specific discussions was just one day. Only two states took two to five days and three states more than five days. Compare that to Parliament, where the Budget session is split for three to four weeks to allow Parliamentary Standing Committees to examine the expenditure proposals of Ministries in detail.  

 

After a Bill is passed by a legislature, it is sent to the Governor, who can grant assent, return it for reconsideration, or reserve it for the President. The Constitution says that the Governor must act "as soon as possible" but delays are frequent and vary widely across states.

 

According to the Annual Review of State Laws 2024 by PRS Legislative Research, 60 per cent of Bills passed by state legislatures in 2024 received gubernatorial assent within a month. As many 18 per cent took more than three months, including Bills still pending as of April 2025. While Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi, Mizoram, and Rajasthan ensured that all their Bills were cleared by Governors within a month, other states experienced significant lags. Himachal Pradesh had 72 per cent of its Bills delayed by more than three months, followed by Sikkim (56 per cent) and West Bengal (38 per cent).

 

Tamil Nadu, where the Governor and the state government have clashed several times, saw 60 per cent of Bills receive assent within a month. Another 18 per cent took one to three months and 22 per cent were delayed by more than three months.