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SPEAKER OF LOK SABHA (Article – 93)
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- Each House of Parliament has its own presiding officer. There is a Speaker and a Deputy Speaker for the Lok Sabha.
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Evolution of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha: Origin and Development in the Indian Parliament
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- The institutions of Speaker and Deputy Speaker originated in India in 1921 under the provisions of the GoI Act of 1919(Montague-Chelmsford Reforms).
- In 1921, Frederick Whyte and Sachidanand Sinha were appointed by the Governor-General of India as the first Speaker and the first Deputy Speaker(respectively) of the Central legislative assembly.
- At that time, the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker were called the President and Deputy President respectively and same nomenclature continued till 1947 (as federal part of GoI 1935 was not implemented)
- In 1925, Vithalbhai J. Patel became the first Indian and the first elected Speaker of the central legislative assembly.
- The Government Of India Act, 1935 changed the nomenclatures of President and Deputy President of the Central Legislative Assembly to the Speaker and Deputy Speaker respectively.
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Election and Tenure of the Speaker in the Indian Parliament
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- The Speaker is elected by the Lok Sabha from amongst its members (as soon as may be, after its first sitting).
- The date of election of the Speaker is fixed by the President.
- Whenever the office of the Speaker falls vacant, the Lok Sabha elects another member to fill the vacancy.
- Usually, the Speaker remains in office during the life of the Lok Sabha.
- However, he has to vacate his office earlier in any of the following three cases:
- If he ceases to be a member of the Lok Sabha
- If he resigns by writing to the Deputy Speaker
- If he is removed by a resolution.
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Removal of the Speaker in the Indian Parliament
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- Resolution for removal must be passed by a majority of all then members of the Lok Sabha. (i.e. Absolute majority)
- Resolution for removal can be moved only after giving 14 days’ advance 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, not the casting vote.
- NOTE– Whenever the Lok Sabha is dissolved, the Speaker does not vacate his office and continues till the newly-elected Lok Sabha meets.
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Role and Authority of the Speaker in the Indian Parliament
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- Primary responsibility of the speaker is to maintain order and decorum in the House for conducting its business and regulating its proceedings. He has final power in this regard.
- Within the house, speaker is final interpreter of the provisions of –
- The Constitution of India,
- The Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of Lok Sabha
- The parliamentary precedents
- Speaker exercises a casting vote in the case of a tie and does not vote in the first instance. Its purpose is to resolve a deadlock.
- The Speaker adjourns the House or suspends the meeting in absence of a quorum (one-tenth of the total strength of the House).
- Speaker presides over a joint setting (Art. 108) of the two Houses of Parliament.
- This sitting is summoned by the President to settle a deadlock between the two Houses on a bill. (Exceptions– Money bill and Constitutional Amendment Bills)
- Speaker decides whether a bill is a money bill or not and his decision on this question is final.
- He endorses on the bill his certificate that it is a money bill.
- Speaker adjudicates the questions of disqualification of a member of the Lok Sabha, arising on the ground of defection under the provisions of the Tenth Schedule.
- Speaker acts as the ex-officio chairman of the Indian Parliamentary Group which is a link between the Parliament of India and the various parliaments of the world.
- Speaker also acts as the ex-officio chairman of the conference of presiding officers of legislative bodies in the country.
- The Speaker appoints the chairman of all the parliamentary committees of the Lok Sabha and supervises their functioning.
- Speaker is the chairman of the –
- Business Advisory Committee
- Rules Committee
- General Purpose Committee.
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