Q. The decline in the number of sittings of legislatures has weakened their constitutional role as instruments of executive accountability. Examine. (10 marks, 150 words)
Direction: Intro----Decline in sittings weakens accountability----Conclusion.
Introduction:
Briefly describe declining legislative sittings with some data.
- 2026 Budget Session – Both Houses meet for 31 sittings, demonstrating that the issue is also about quality and allocation of parliamentary time, not simply its quantity.
- 17th Lok Sabha (2019–24) – Averaged only 55 sittings per year.
- State legislatures show an even sharper decline – Their average sittings have fallen from around 80 days or more in the 1950s–60s to about 25 days today.
- Uttar Pradesh - Assembly sittings were 45–50 days annually in the 1970s, compared with around 15–20 days in recent years.
- Karnataka's sittings have similarly declined despite an earlier law prescribing a minimum of 60 days.
Main Body
How fewer sittings weaken executive accountability?
- Question Hour loses effectiveness
- Reduced legislative scrutiny – Less House time means fewer opportunities for detailed discussion of Bills, policies and government programmes.
- Weakening of representative functions – MPs and MLAs require adequate sitting time to raise concerns.
- Reduced financial accountability – Adequate time is required for legislative scrutiny of taxation, expenditure and government programmes, etc.
- Executive dominance – Decline in sittings provides fewer occasions for the executive to face sustained questioning.
Problems beyond fewer sittings
- Frequent disruptions
- Absenteeism
- Poor preparation by legislators
- Limited committee scrutiny
- Hasty passage of Bills
- Party polarisation
- Weak utilisation of parliamentary devices.
Conclusion:
Give a neutral conclusion and suggest some measures.
The way forward is not simply “more sittings” but “more meaningful sittings”.
