The Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly
Quick Summary (TL;DR)
Article 178 (The Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly): Regulates State Legislative Assemblies (Vidhan Sabha) and Legislative Councils under Part VI.
In Simple Citizen Words
Article 178 ('The Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly') in Part VI, Chapter III governs the State Legislature (Vidhan Sabha and, where applicable, Vidhan Parishad). It sets the constitutional rules for composition of Assemblies, MLA qualifications/disqualifications, sessions, Speaker/Deputy Speaker duties, passage of State Bills and Budgets, assent to Bills (Arts 200–201), and legislative privileges. Specifically: Every Legislative Assembly of a State shall, as soon as may be, choose two members of the Assembly to be respectively Speaker and Deputy Speaker thereof and, so often as the office of Speaker or Deputy Speaker becomes vacant, the Assembly...
Key Constitutional Provisions
Constitutional Mandate (Art. 178): Directly codifies the legal rule for 'The Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly' under Part VI
Sets a direct, self-contained constitutional command binding on public authorities across India
Any administrative or legislative action violating Article 178 can be challenged before the High Court (Art. 226) or Supreme Court
Exceptions & Reasonable Restrictions
State Legislatures must legislate within the State and Concurrent Lists (Seventh Schedule) and cannot violate Fundamental Rights or constitutional procedures.
Why This Matters in Daily Life
Guarantees democratic law-making and budget scrutiny at the state level through your elected MLAs.
Want deeper legal & historical context? Explore the official Bare Act or Supreme Court Precedents & CAD Debates: