Parliament: Presiding Officer of Lok Sabha

Speaker of Lok Sabha

• Election and Tenure
  • The Speaker is elected by the Lok Sabha from amongst its members.
  •  The date of election of the Speaker is fixed by the President.
  • Election Criteria
    • Simple majority of members present and voting in the House.
    • No specific qualifications required.
  • The Speaker remains in office during the life of the Lok Sabha.
  • Conditions in which speaker vacate earlier
    • if he ceases to be a member of the Lok Sabha.
    • if he resigns by writing to the Deputy Speaker
    • Removal 
• Removal
  • Removed with effective majority after giving 14 days notice.
  • When a resolution for the removal of the Speaker is under consideration of the House, he cannot preside at the sitting of the House, though he may be present. 
  • However, he can speak and take part in the proceedings of the House at such a time and vote in the first instance, though not in the case of an equality of votes. 

• Role, Powers and Functions 
  • The Speaker is the head of the Lok Sabha.
  • He/she is the principal spokesperson of the House, and his decision in all Parliamentary matters is final.
  • The primary responsibility of the Speaker is to maintain order and decorum in the House for conducting its business and regulating its proceedings. He/she has final power in this matter.
  • He/she is the final interpreter of the provisions of
    • The Constitution of India
    • The Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of Lok Sabha
    • Parliamentary precedents
  • He/she can adjourn the proceedings of the House or suspends the meeting in absence of a quorum.
  • The Speaker presides over a joint sitting of the two houses of Parliament.
  • He/she can allow for a ‘secret’ sitting of the House at the request of the Leader of the House.
  • He/she decides whether the bill is a money bill or not, and his/her decision on this matter is final.
  • The Speaker is the ex-officio chairman of the Indian Parliamentary Group (IPG) setup in 1949.
  • The Speaker is also the ex-officio chairman of the conference of presiding officers of legislative bodies in the country.
• Independence of the Lok Sabha Speaker
  • He is provided with a security of tenure. He can be removed only by a resolution passed by the Lok Sabha by a special majority  and this motion of removal can be considered and discussed only when it has the support of at least 50 members.
  • The salaries and allowances of the Speaker are fixed by Parliament, and they are charged on the Consolidated Fund of India.
  • The work and conduct of the Speaker cannot be discussed or criticised in the Lok Sabha except on a substantive motion.
  • The power of exercising casting votes is an instance of impartial behaviour by the Speaker
  • He can only exercise a casting vote in the event of a tie. This makes the position of Speaker impartial.
  • He is given a very high position in the order of precedence. He is placed at seventh rank, along with the Chief Justice of India.

Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha

• The Lok Sabha itself also elects the Deputy Speaker from amongst its members. 
• He is elected after the election of the Speaker has taken place. 
• The date of election of the Deputy Speaker is fixed by the Speaker
• Conditions in which speaker vacate earlier
  • if he ceases to be a member of the Lok Sabha.
  • if he resigns by writing to the Deputy Speaker
  • Removal – Removed with effective majority after giving 14 days notice.
• Functions
  • The Deputy Speaker performs the duties of the Speaker’s office when it is vacant. 
  • He also acts as the Speaker when the latter is absent from the sitting of the House.
  • He also presides over the joint sitting of both the Houses of Parliament, in case the Speaker is absent from such a sitting.
• Voting
  • The Deputy Speaker, while presiding over the House, cannot vote in the first instance; he can only exercise a casting vote in the case of a tie.
  • When a resolution for the removal of the Deputy Speaker is under consideration of the House, he cannot preside at the sitting of the House, though he may be present.
• Independence
  • The Deputy Speaker is entitled to a regular salary and allowance fixed by Parliament, and charged on the Consolidated Fund of India.
• Special Privilege –  Whenever the Deputy Speaker is appointed as a member of a parliamentary committee, he/she automatically becomes its chairman.

Panel of Chairpersons of Lok Sabha

• Under the Rules of Lok Sabha, the Speaker nominates from amongst the members of the house to constitute a panel of not more than ten chairpersons.
• Role – Any of them can reside over the House in the absence of the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker; but not if these two offices are vacant.
• When the panel of chairpersons is also not present, any other person as determined by the House can act as a Speaker.

Speaker Pro Tem

• The office of Speaker Pro Tem is a temporary office, existing for a few days.
• Usually, the senior most member is selected as the Speaker Pro Tem.
• He/she is appointed by the President.
• He/she has all the powers of the Speaker.
• Main duty – To administer oath to the new members of the House.
• He/she enables the House to elect a new Speaker.
• He/she presides over the first sitting of the newly elected House.