This document discusses the role and responsibilities of the Speaker of the Lok Sabha (lower house of the Indian parliament). It outlines that the Speaker is elected by members to preside over sessions and maintains order. The Speaker has powers to regulate debates, interpret rules, appoint committee members and chairs, and oversees the secretariat. However, the position has sometimes become politicized as Speakers may still be affiliated with political parties and show bias towards the ruling party. There are calls for Speakers to act with strict impartiality and not be seen as puppets for political motives.

1. D R B A R N A N A G U H A T H A K U R T A ( B A N E R J E E )
SPEAKER OF THE LOK
SABHA

2. Speaker
 Each House of Parliament has its own presiding officer and secretarial
staff
 There shall be Speaker to preside over the House of the People
 His position is similar to that of the Speaker of the English House of
Commons
 Office of the Speaker has been held in great esteem throughout the
history of over three hundred years of Parliamentary government in Britain
 This is because of the manner in which he has discharged his
responsibilities as a presiding officer, the detachment and objectivity which
he brought to bear upon all his decisions
 Office of the Speaker is of great honour, dignity and authority
 In the Order of Precedence, he is ranked seventh and is bracketed with the
Chief Justice of India
 Honoured position, a free position and should be occupied always by
men of outstanding ability and impartiality

3. Election of the Speaker
 The Speaker is chosen by House from amongst its members
 He holds his office until he ceases to be a member or he himself resigns his
office or he is removed from his office by a resolution of the House passed
by a majority of all the then members of the House
 Under Article 93 of our Constitution, both the Speaker and Deputy
Speakers are elected
 No specific qualifications required prescribed by the Constitution for
the post of the Speaker
 Usually a member belonging to the ruling party is elected as a Speaker
 However, in most cases the ruling party generally nominates its candidate
after informal consultations with the leaders of other parties in the House
 Instances when members not belonging to a ruling party or coalition were
elected to the office of the Speaker
 Somnath Chatterjee

4. Protem Speaker
 presides over the sitting in which the Speaker
is elected, if it is newly constituted House
 First meeting after election in which Speaker is
elected by the members of Lok Sabha is held under
the senior most member of Parliament who is
commonly known as the Protem Speaker

5. Term
 The normal term of a Speaker is that of five years
 No restriction on his seeking another term or
terms
 Continues in office notwithstanding the fact that the
House has been dissolved
 Vacates it immediately before the first meeting of the
new House after General election

6. Removal
 The Speaker or a Deputy Speaker will normally hold office during the life of
the House, but his office may terminate earlier in any of the following
ways
i. By his ceasing to be a member of the House
ii. By resignation in writing addressed to the Deputy Speaker and vice versa
iii. By removal from office by a resolution, passed by a majority of all the
then members of the House (Art 94)
 Here it must also be noted that at least 14 days notice should be given to
the Speaker in case a motion of no confidence is brought to remove him
from office
 Speaker shall not preside over the House in case such a motion is under
consideration
 But in such a case, he will have every right to present himself in the House
for speaking anything in his defence
 He may also entitle to take part in the proceedings of, the House, and shall
have a right of vote except in the case of equality of votes (Art 96)

7. Deputy Speaker
 While the office of the Speaker is vacant or the Speaker is absent from the
sitting of the House, the Deputy Speaker presides, except when a resolution
for his own removal is under consideration
 Deputy Speaker is elected in the same manner in which the Speaker is
elected
 He can be removed from office also in the same manner
 As an acting Speaker he enjoys all the powers of the Speaker and can
perform all his functions
 One of his special privileges is that when he is appointed as a member
of a Parliamentary Committee, he automatically becomes its Chairman
 By virtue of the office he has the right to be present at any meeting of any
committee if he so chooses and can preside over its deliberations
 His rulings are generally final if they are related to the matters under
discussion
 Whenever, the Deputy Speaker is in doubt, he reserves the matter for the
ruling of the Speaker

8. Powers and Functions
 The Speaker occupies an office that carries both great
dignity and high authority
 Functions and powers of the Indian Speaker emanate
both from the provisions of the Constitution and the
Rules of Procedure made in pursuance of them for
conducting the business of the Parliament
 Speaker possesses some unwritten or unspecified
powers also that go to supplement his express powers
 Though the office of the presiding officer of our popular
chamber is largely modeled on that of the English
Speaker, the Indian Speaker has wide powers than
his counterpart in the United Kingdom

9. Regulatory Powers of the Speaker
 conducting the business of the House in an orderly manner
 Maintains order and decorum in the House
 Allots time for the debates and discussion and allows the members to express their views
within the time determined by him
 Interprets the rules of the Constitution and of the Procedure for the guidance of the members.
He puts matters for division and announces the result
 Casting vote
 Admit motions, resolutions and points of order and then make arrangements for discussion on
them
 Adjourn the House in the event of the absence of quorum or grave disorder
 Make his address on an important matter under consideration for the enlightenment of the
members
 May allow a member to speak in some other language that happens to be his mother
tongue and then make arrangements for authentic translation of the statements of the member
into Hindi and English languages
 No representation can be moved by members of the House without his consent
 A secret meeting of the House can take place at the request of the leader of the House after its
approval by the Speaker
 Settle a matter of dispute and his version is final
 It can be challenged only when a substantive motion is brought by the members of the House

10. Supervisory Powers of the Speaker
 Head of the Parliamentary Committees
 Some important committees like Rules committee and Business Advisory Committee work
under his chairmanship
 Appoints the Chairman of the various committees of the House and may issue instructions
and directions for their guidance
 May ask the Government to supply such and such information to the House or to its
committees that is so essential in the public interest
 No member should speak unparliamentary language or becomes unnecessarily
argumentative or verbose in his expression
 May force a member to withdraw his indecent expression or make amends
 May warn the member in the event of his disorderly behaviour or he may also ask him to
withdraw from the House
 May also make use of his Marshal for getting a member out of the House in the event of his
highly disorderly behavior
 May even adjourn the House in the event of grave disorder or some serious situation
 No member can be arrested nor can any legal proceedings be served on him without the
permission of the Speaker
 May even issue warrants of arrest for bringing an alleged offender of the privileges of the House
 Function to implement the decision of the House with regard to the punishment given to a
person for the breach of privileges or contempt of the House

11. Administrative Power of the Speaker
 Lok Sabha Secretariat functions under the control and direction of the
Speaker
 Authority over the Secretariat staff of the House, its precincts and its
security arrangements is supreme
 All strangers, visitors and press correspondent are subject to his discipline
and orders
 No alternation and addition can be made in the Parliament House, and no
new structure can be erected in the Parliament Estate without the Speaker’s
permission
 Makes provisions for the accommodation and other amenities of life
granted to the members of the House
 Regulates the lobbies and galleries meant for the press and the public
 Make arrangements for the sittings of the House and its Committees
 Custodian of the honour of the House
 Concern to see that the life and persons of members are secure and that the
staff and property of the House are immune from any danger

12. Miscellaneous Powers of the Speaker
 Gives his certificate to a Bill that is passed by the House
 He alone can decide whether a bill is a money bill or not
 Presides over the Joint Session of the Parliament
 Acts as a sole channel of communication between the President and
the House
 Makes obituary reference in the House and delivers a valedictory
address on the expiry of the term of the House
 Makes formal reference on some occasions to important national and
international events
 Can correct patent errors in a bill after it has been passed in the House
 May even make changes in the bill consequential on the amendments
accepted by the House
 Acts as a ex officio chairman of the conferences of the presiding officers
in the country
 Can make nominations for the Parliamentary delegations visiting
various parts of the country or abroad

13. Position
 Has not been able to gain that high level of dignity
which is enjoyed by his English counterpart
 Instead of setting up of a healthy tradition like that of
conferring the distinguished membership of the Upper
Chamber of our Parliament by means of Presidential
nominations upon one after his retirement from the office
of the Speaker, new rooms for lucrative temptations have
been opened whereby the occupant of this great office might
fall prey to the charm of executive patronage
 Bias of the Speaker becomes well discernible in his
attitude towards the Party in power as a result of which
vocal members of Opposition lose their temper and
demonstrate their resentment by means of shouts and
walkouts

14. Position
 The office of the Speaker has a dignity of its own
 Authority is undermined on several occasions
 Holders of this office seldom resign their political affiliations
and remain active politicians
 Generally pronounce rulings and decisions, admit or reject motions,
appoint members to various committees and treat members on
partisan lines
 Remain ambitious to become ministers, Governors or Chief
Ministers, try to form factions and win favour from their groups
 The leaders of the Opposition may resort to unparliamentary
methods to fight the ruling party in the House
 The Opposition leaders are seldom consulted at the time of
the election of the Speaker and for this reason they look upon him
as the nominee of the ruling party

15. Impartiality
 Strict impartiality
 Puppet
 Petty political motives