Lok Sabha Speaker

Lok Sabha Speaker is the presiding officer of the Lok Sabha (House of the People)
or the lower house of the Parliament of India. Till date, 16 people have served as
Lok Sabha Speaker. The Speaker is the constitutional and ceremonial head of the
House. He is the principal spokesperson of the House.
The Speaker holds office from the date of her election till immediately before the
first meeting of the Lok Sabha after the dissolution of the one to which he was
elected.
Jawaharlal Nehru, one of the chief architects of India's freedom and a moving force
behind its Constitution, placed the office of the Speaker in India in the proper
context when he said:
"The Speaker represents the House. He/she represents the dignity of the House, the
freedom of the House and because the House represents the nation, in a particular
way, the Speaker becomes a symbol of nation's freedom and liberty. Therefore,
that should be an honoured position, a free position and should be occupied always
by persons of outstanding ability and impartiality."

The Speaker is the most powerful man in the Lok Sabha. He enjoys supreme
authority in the House. He enjoys a status equal to that of the Chief Justice of
India.

(I) Method of Election of the Speaker:

After a new Lok Sabha is constituted, the Speaker and Deputy Speaker are elected
by the House in its first meeting. Normally they are elected unanimously. The
leader of the majority party proposes their names, after consulting the leaders of
the opposition parties. The leader of the opposition party seconds the names so
proposed.

The election takes place only when there is disagreement between the majority
party and the opposition parties. In May 2009 Smt. Meira Kumar and Sh. Karia
Munda got unanimously as the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the 15th Lok Sabha,
respectively.

(II) Qualifications:
There are no formal qualifications for the office of the Speaker. Any sitting
member of the Lok Sabha can be elected as Speaker by the House. As such
qualifications essential for the membership of the Lok Sabha are also the essential
qualifications for the office of the Speaker.

(III) Tenure:

The tenure of the Speaker is equal to the tenure of Lok Sabha, i.e., 5 years.
However, the Speaker continues to be in office even after the dissolution of the
Lok Sabha. He holds office till the new Lok Sabha elects a new Speaker. The
Speaker can resign his office at any time before the completion of his full tenure.

(IV) Method of Removal:

The Speaker ceases to hold office if he ceases to be a member of the House. He
can also be removed from office by the Lok Sabha by passing a resolution
supported by majority of its members. However to initiate such a no-confidence
move against the Speaker, a prior notice of 14 days has to be given by the movers.

Functions of the Speaker:

1. To preside over the meetings of the House:
The Speaker presides over the meetings of the Lok Sabha and conducts its
proceedings. He also presides over the joint sittings of the two Houses of the
Parliament.

2. To maintain discipline in the Lok Sabha:

The Speaker maintains discipline in the House. If any member disrupts or tries to
disrupt the proceedings of the House, the Speaker can warn him or can ask him to
leave the House. He can suspend a member from the House whom he finds guilty
of violating the discipline and decorum.

3. To fix the Agenda of the House:

The Speaker, in consultation with other members of the business committee of the
House and the Prime Minister, Fixes the agenda of the meetings of the House.
4. Permission to ask questions:

Each member of the house can ask questions to the minister with the permission of
the speaker.

5. To conduct the business of the House:

The Speaker conducts the business of the House. He allows the members to
introduce the bills or to move motions. He recognises the members on the floor of
the House and gives them time for speaking in the House. He fixes time limit for
the debates in the House, puts matters to vote, and announces the results. He can
warn the members against the use of un-parliamentary language and can order the
same to be expunged from the records.

6. Interpretation of Rules of Procedure:

The business of the House is conducted according to definite and settled rules of
procedure. In case of any dispute regarding the rules of the House, the Speaker
interprets and applies these rules. The interpretation of rules made by the Speaker
is final and cannot be challenged

7. Power to adjourn the House:

The Speaker can adjourn the meetings of the House if the quorum of the House is
not complete or if the conducting the business of the House is not possible due to a
disorderly behaviour of its members.

8. Decision about a Money Bill:

If a dispute arises over the question as to whether a bill is a Money Bill or not, the
decision is made by the Speaker. Such a decision is final and cannot be challenged
inside or outside the House.

9. To exercise a Casting Vote:

The Speaker does not participate in the debates and discussions of the House. He
even does not take part in the voting on bills. Although as a member he has the
right to vote. In case of a tie over any bill, he can exercise his casting vote.

10. Protection of the Privileges of the Members of the House:

The members of the House enjoy several privileges which are protected by the
Speaker. All cases of disputes relating to the privileges of the members are referred
by the Speaker to the committee on privileges. In accordance with the wishes of
this committee, the Speaker then decides these matters. The Speaker acts as the
guardian of the privileges of the MPS and the House.

11. Role regarding the Committees of the House:

A major part of the business of the House is conducted by the committees of the
House. The Speaker plays an important role in the composition of the Committees.
He is the ex-officio Chairman of some of the important committees such as
Business Advisory Committee, Committee on Rules and few others.

12. Administrative Functions:

The Speaker has several administrative responsibilities. He has control over the
Lok Sabha Secretariat. He appoints the employees of the Secretariat, determines
the service rules for them and supervises their work. He has the responsibility for
the upkeep of the records of the proceedings of the House.

Position of the Speaker:

The Speaker of the Lok Sabha enjoys a position of great respect and dignity. He
has the supreme responsibility to conduct the proceedings of the House. He acts as
the representative of the House, and as its impartial chairman. His authority is
supreme in the House and no one can challenge his decisions and rulings. The
office of the Speaker is of great dignity and respect.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Om Birla was unanimously elected as the

Speaker of the 17th Lok Sabha on Wednesday. Om Birla, two-time MP from
Rajasthan's Kota, was elected after Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposed his
name on Day 3 of Lok Sabha session.
Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha
• The Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha is the vice-presiding officer of
the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament of India.
• They act as the presiding officer in case of leave or absence caused by death
or illness of the Speaker of the Lok Sabha.
• It is by convention that position of Deputy Speaker is offered to opposition
party in India.
• The Deputy Speaker is elected in the first meeting of the Lok Sabha after
the General elections for a term of 5 years from amongst the members of the
Lok Sabha.
• They hold office until either they cease to be a member of the Lok Sabha or
they resign. They can be removed from office by a resolution passed in the
Lok Sabha by an effective majority of its members.In effective majority, the
majority should be 50% or more than 50% of total strength of the house after
removing the vacancies.
• Since the Deputy Speaker is accountable for the Lok Sabha, the elimination
is done by the effective majority in Lok Sabha only.
• There is no need to resign from their original party though as a Deputy
Speaker, they have to remain impartial.

Powers and functions of the Deputy Speaker

• In case of the absence of the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker presides over the
sessions of the Lok Sabha and conducts the business in the house.
• He decides whether a bill is a money bill or a non-money bill.
• They maintain discipline and decorum in the house and can punish a
member for unruly behaviour by suspending him/her.
• They permit the moving of various kinds of motions and resolutions like
the motion of no confidence, motion of adjournment, motion of censure and
calling attention notice.
 Parliamentary Secretary
• A Parliamentary Secretary is a high-ranking government position. The Prime
Minister of India appoints the Parliamentary Secretaries. Their main role is
to aid the cabinet ministers and even the PM.
• A Parliamentary Secretary also has a number of departmental and
parliamentary duties as well. They work closely under the direction of the
cabinet Ministers and in addition, they also have department-related public
and House duties to perform as well.

House Duties
• The Parliamentary Secretary in the House plays the role of liaison between
the ministers, and other House members (parliamentarians.). They help in
strengthening the contacts within the government caucus.
• They also have a keen role to play regarding the cabinet members business.
• They may be held responsible for answering policy questions in the absence
of a minister from the House.

Other Roles and Responsibilities:

• Preparation of Statements by Members. Many members may not devote time for the
purpose.
• During adjournment proceedings, they may speak on behalf of a minister.
• They may also act on the behalf of a cabinet minister in some circumstances.

While the Parliamentary Secretaries have a number of responsibilities and rights,

they are not involved in some major decisions.

They may not represent government bills and are ineligible to introduce their own
private Member's motions or bills.

Many states have established the Parliamentary Secretary post. Punjab, Assam,
Manipur, Mizoram, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh are some of the states where the
Parliament Secretaries are appointed.