Revision summary
State Legislative Councils exist under Article 169 and are weaker than Assemblies. They cannot reject money bills or defeat a government. Ordinary bills can only be delayed, then deemed passed by the Assembly. Rajya Sabha is a stronger second chamber than a Vidhan Parishad. The house has revising use, not effective ruling power.
Model answer
Introduction
A State Legislative Council is a second chamber created under Article 169. Compared with the Legislative Assembly it is weak. Calling it a house without any effective powers is a half-truth: it can delay and revise, it cannot rule.
Body
What it cannot do
- Money bills originate only in the Assembly. The Council may recommend within fourteen days; the Assembly may ignore the recommendations (Article 198).
- On other bills it may delay, not veto. After the Assembly’s second passage, the bill is deemed passed (Article 197).
- The Council of Ministers is responsible to the Assembly, not to the Council. No government falls in the upper house.
- Creation and abolition themselves lie with Parliament after a state resolution, so the Council’s existence is politically contingent.
What remains
- A revising chamber can catch drafting errors and give a voice to teachers, graduates, and local-body members where those constituencies exist.
- Delay can matter in a thin Assembly majority or near the end of a session.
- Compared with the Rajya Sabha, which has federal and some exclusive functions (Articles 249, 312), a Vidhan Parishad is far weaker.
- States have abolished councils (West Bengal, Tamil Nadu at times, Punjab, Andhra debates) precisely because parties judged them costly and ineffective.
Comment
- Effective power in a parliamentary system means confidence, money, and final legislative will. The Council lacks those.
- It is not a cipher in every bill, but it is not a coequal house. The statement is substantially right if “effective” means decisive.
Flow diagram
flowchart TD LC[Legislative Council] --> D[Delay and revise] LC --> N[No confidence power] LC --> M[No money veto] LA[Legislative Assembly] --> G[Government and final will]
Conclusion
The Legislative Council is a delaying and revising house without confidence power or a money veto. That is not zero function. It is not effective government. The comment holds for decisive powers.
Quick related
Students also ask
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How far is the National Commission for Backward Classes an empowered body? Assess its role in the context of rising demand for backwardness among dominant communities.
Next question in the 2022 paper (Q5). View answer →
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Why keep a Council at all?
Revision, extra representation, and delay. Those are secondary functions in a parliamentary state.
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Is the Rajya Sabha equally powerless?
No. It is weaker than the Lok Sabha on money and confidence, but stronger than a State Council in federal legislation.
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