KOCHI: As concerns grow over the functioning of legislatures in the country, the Kerala assembly has emerged as one of India’s most active and effective examples of legislative scrutiny, according to the latest Annual Review of State Laws 2025 released by PRS Legislative Research.
The report, which examined the functioning of 27 state legislatures and three Union Territories, presented a mixed picture of India’s democratic institutions. State assemblies met for an average of just 24 days in 2025, many laws were passed within hours of being introduced, and only a small fraction of bills underwent detailed committee scrutiny.
In contrast, the Kerala assembly sat for 38 days in 2025, significantly above the national average. More importantly, the state has maintained this performance consistently. Between 2021 and 2025, Kerala recorded the highest average number of sitting days in the country at 41, ahead of Odisha (39) and Karnataka (37).
The report notes that several assemblies met only long enough to satisfy the constitutional requirement that no more than six months should elapse between two sessions. In some states, one-day or three-day sessions were convened primarily to meet this obligation.
Former speaker A N Shamseer, who held the office from 2021 to 2026, said the state has set a benchmark in legislative functioning and law-making.
“We are ahead of other states in the number of session days, legislations and the quality of debates. But we need more session days,” he said.
Sitting days steadily declining across legislatures, says expert
Despite Kerala’s performance, the assembly still falls short of the ideal benchmark of 50 to 60 sitting days a year, Shamseer said.
“The assembly initially schedules 50 to 60 days, but the duration is later curtailed with the consensus of both the ruling and opposition parties,” he said.
Shamseer added that the “will of the people” is ultimately reflected on the floor of the assembly. He also pointed out that bills passed by the house are being held up in the governor’s office for political reasons. “That is not good for a healthy democracy,” he said.
Kerala’s legislative culture also stands out in the way bills are scrutinised. Across India, only about 5% of bills introduced were referred to committees in 2025. Committees are widely regarded as the backbone of legislative scrutiny, enabling experts, stakeholders and lawmakers to examine the implications of proposed legislation before it becomes law.
Kerala bucked the national trend by referring 25 bills to subject committees. The state’s approach to budget scrutiny also received special mention in the report. While most assemblies spend an average of eight days discussing budgets, Kerala follows a more deliberative process, where subject committees examine departmental budgets and submit reports before detailed expenditure discussions begin.
In 2025, the assembly waited 20 days after the general budget discussion before taking up department-wise expenditure demands, giving legislators time to study proposals in greater depth.
Constitutional expert and former Lok Sabha Secretary General P D T Achary told TNIE that sitting days have been steadily declining across state legislatures. He noted that the responsibility for scheduling and convening assembly sessions rests primarily with state governments.
“Members also have a role in improving the quality of debates and participating actively in discussions. As representatives of the people, legislators should be well informed about bills and actively suggest amendments, since these laws affect the entire population,” he said.
