Disruptions in Parliament & Legislative Assemblies huge Challenge for democracy (UPSC-RAS) POLITY CURRENT AFFAIRS

1. PRS Legislative Research data shows the 17th Lok Sabha passed several bills with minimal discussion.

2. 17th Lok Sabha (2019–2024)

Average productivity: 47%. Annual sitting days fell to 55 (vs 120–140 in the 1950s). Over 35% of bills passed in under one hour of debate. Farm Laws repealed in November 2021 in minutes with no discussion.ws

3. State Legislatures

Average sitting days (2024): State assemblies met for just 20 days/year on average (PRS Annual Review of State Laws 2024) — down from 28 days in 2017. Several key states sat for fewer than 15 days.
44% of Bills introduced in state assemblies were passed within a single day in 2021, per PRS data.
8 state assemblies also function without a Deputy Speaker, mirroring the Lok Sabha vacancy.

Executive accountability collapse: Question Hour — the primary tool of daily accountability — functioned for only 6% of scheduled time in Rajya Sabha in the 2025 Monsoon Session. Ministers avoid scrutiny by default.
Legislation without deliberation: The Online Gaming Regulation Bill 2025 was cleared with 6 minutes of LS debate and 23 minutes of RS debate. The Income Tax Bill 2025 was passed amid sloganeering without any discussion.
Tactical advantage for ruling party: Disruptions can insulate the government from difficult questions — a perverse incentive to allow, not prevent, disorder.
Ordinance creep: 76 ordinances issued 2014–2023 alone, partly enabled by the legislature's inability to function. Farm Ordinances (2020) bypassed pre-legislative scrutiny entirely.
Fiscal cost: Running Parliament costs approximately ₹2.5 lakh per minute. Winter Session 2024 losses estimated at ₹90+ crore from unproductive hours.

Constitutional amendment mandating minimum 100 sitting days/year for Parliament (PRS recommendation).
Elect Deputy Speaker immediately — 6-year vacancy must end.
Salary deduction for days lost to disruptions (NCRWC 2002).
2^nd ARC suggestions-

Mandatory referral of all Bills to Departmental Standing Committees.
Accountability of Ministers: Recommended that ministers answer all starred questions in writing within a stipulated time even if oral answers are not possible due to disruptions — preserving accountability even when the House is not functioning.

Parliamentary Productivity Index: Proposed a formal index measuring both quantity of time and quality of debate — creating public accountability metrics beyond simple productivity percentages.
Codified Opposition Rights: Formal recognition of the Leader of Opposition's role and guaranteed debate time — reducing the grievance of marginalisation that triggers disruptions.

National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution -Accountability of Speakers/Presiding Officers: Impartiality of the Speaker must be constitutionally reinforced to ensure fair rulings during disruptions.

Responsibility - As the executive is responsible towards the legislature therefore the legislature exercises control over the executive thus it cannot be autocratic.
Accountability - The legislature also has control over the day-to-day functions of the executive. The executive has to answer the questions of the legislature, so the executive is more accountable.
Harmony between executive and legislature - Since the executive has majority in the legislature, there is better coordination between the two organs and no conflict arises between the two, this makes government decision and law making easier. In this minority classes can also politically organize themselves and can protect their interests.
In this the opposition parties have important role to play. There are more political parties in this system. Mass movements are organized by political parties, due to which the public becomes politically aware.

Unstable Government - Since the executive is responsible towards the legislature, thelegislature can remove the executive by No Confidence motion. Often the executive isnot able to complete its tenure and re-elections have to be conducted, which leads towastage of money and time with non-continuity of political policies.
Delayed decision making - Before taking any decision the consent of all the allies has to be taken Often the allies do not agree and then the government is not able to take adecision.
There is no clear separation of powers in this as the executive is a part of the legislature which goes against ideal democracy.
Government by amateur- limited choice in selection of ministers because ministers are tobe appointed only from amongst the members of the legislature which does not encourages specialization.
Coalition governments are also formed in this. Due to this all the demerits of coalition-governments are found in it such as instability, delayed decisions, lack of adequate control over ministers, corruption, giving more importance to regional issues thannational issues, opportunism, tendency of defections, mismatched alliances etc.