Article 186

Salaries and Allowances of Presiding Officers

Official heading: “Salaries and allowances of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker and the Chairman and Deputy Chairman.”

Check this article against the official editionAwaiting human legal review

Source edition: The Constitution of India (as on 1 May 2026)
Source locator: Part VI, Article 186, printed page 83
Last human source-link check: Not yet checked
Last human legal review: Not yet reviewed

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1. In One Sentence

Article 186 provides for the payment of salaries and allowances to the Speaker, Deputy Speaker, Chairman, and Deputy Chairman as fixed by the State Legislature by law.

2. What It Means in Everyday Language

Article 186 secures the financial independence of the presiding officers of both houses of the State Legislature.

Salaries and allowances are fixed by the State Legislature by law. Until so determined, they are governed by the provisions of the Second Schedule to the Constitution.

Crucially, under Article 202(3)(b), the salaries and allowances of these presiding officers are charged upon the Consolidated Fund of the State, meaning they are non-votable and cannot be curtailed during political disputes.

3. Practical Illustrative Example

Everyday Scenario:

During annual budget debates, an MLA seeks to move a cut motion to reduce the Speaker's salary.

Core takeaway: Under Article 186 read with Article 202(3)(b), the Speaker's salary is charged expenditure; it can be discussed but cannot be voted on or cut by the Assembly.

Illustrative Notice: Salaries can only be altered by a formal statutory amendment enacted by the State Legislature.

4. Important Limits, Qualifications & Exceptions

Article 186 provides financial autonomy for legislative presiding officers.

Fixed by State Legislature by statute.
Default rates governed by Second Schedule.
Charged expenditure under Article 202(3)(b) ensures freedom from executive or partisan fiscal pressure.

5. Operative Constitutional Text

There shall be paid to the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, and to the Chairman and the Deputy Chairman of the Legislative Council, such salaries and allowances as may be respectively fixed by the Legislature of the State by law and, until provision in that behalf is so made, such salaries and allowances as are specified in the Second Schedule.

Transcription for reference; compare with the linked official editionNot yet verified by a human legal reviewer

6. Sources & Historical Assembly Deliberations

Assembly quotations are withheld until wording, dates, and attribution have been checked against the primary record.

Sources & Citation Metadata

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Constitutional TextThe Constitution of India (as on 1 May 2026)Cited PDF page
Government of India (Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice) • Part VI, Article 186, printed page 83 • Human source-link check pending
Primary PDF accessed and transcribed with AI assistance on 14 October 2026. Formatting and amendment annotation markers are omitted; operative wording is retained. This is not human legal review. Later amendments and commencement notifications have not been comprehensively checked.

Human legal review is pending; compare the text with the cited editionNon-partisan educational resource