Speaker
Speaker of the Lok Sabha:
The lower house of the Indian parliament, known as the Lok Sabha, is presided over by the Speaker.
Article 94:
The Speaker of the Lok Sabha is elected by the house’s members and steps down from office when they are no longer members of the house
Role of the Speaker in Parliamentary democracy:
- The highest authority in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian Parliament, is the Speaker.
Presiding over the Lok Sabha’s proceedings:
- The Speaker is in charge of presiding over Lok Sabha sessions and making sure that the debates and discussions are conducted in a polite and orderly manner.
- These are just a few of the Speaker of the Lok Sabha’s specific roles and responsibilities.
- The Speaker has the power to decide on points of order and to uphold the parliament’s rules.
- Serving as the Lok Sabha’s spokesperson: The Speaker is frequently asked to speak in public or at international gatherings as the Lok Sabha’s representative.
- Preserving the Lok Sabha’s impartiality: The Speaker must act impartially and neutrally in carrying out his or her responsibilities and make sure that each and every member of the legislature is treated equally and fairly.
Maintaining the accountability and openness of the Lok Sabha:
- The Speaker bears the responsibility of guaranteeing that the public can obtain information about the work of the Lok Sabha and that its proceedings are transparent and open.
Being a crucial player in the legislative process:
- The Speaker is responsible for allocating bills to committees, choosing the order in which bills are discussed, and approving the final text of bills before sending them to the President for ratification.
- Acting as the Lok Sabha’s representative when interacting with other parliamentary organizations.
- All things considered, the Speaker is essential to the smooth operation of parliamentary democracy because they make sure that the legislature is run in a transparent, accountable, and orderly manner.
Functions performed by the Speaker
The speaker’s primary responsibilities include Article 95
- The Speaker is responsible for presiding over Lok Sabha meetings and upholding decorum and order in the chamber.
Article 96
- The Speaker shall be entitled to participate in the house’s proceedings and to address any sitting of the house or any committee of the house of which he or she is a member; however, the Speaker shall not initially be entitled to vote.
Article 97
- The Speaker is in charge of certifying money bills and financial bills, and he or she also has the authority to order that any other bill be categorized as either of these two types of bills.
Article 100
In the event of a tie in the house vote, the Speaker will cast the deciding vote.
Table:
- The Speaker’s Principal Duties as outlined in the Indian Constitution
Rule interpretation:
- In addition to making decisions on points of order, the Speaker is able to interpret the house’s rules of procedure and business conduct.
- The Speaker is also responsible for ceremonial duties, which include greeting foreign dignitaries and representing the Lok Sabha in public gatherings both domestically and abroad.
Designating committee chairpersons:
- The speaker designates committees, committee chairs, and refers items to committees for review.
Other responsibilities:
- Carrying out any additional tasks and obligations that the Speaker may be delegated by the Parliament or the President of India, or as stipulated by the Lok Sabha’s procedural rules.
The issues surrounding the office of the Speaker:
- Although it is generally expected of the Speaker to perform their duties impartially and neutrally, there have been times when the Speaker’s office has come under fire and generated controversy.
- The Speaker’s office has been criticized for a number of reasons, including:
Partisanship:
- The Speaker has occasionally been charged with being partisan or biased in favor of a specific political party or ideology.
- This could jeopardize the office’s neutrality and impartiality as well as the Speaker’s integrity and credibility.
Discretion:
- The Speaker has occasionally been charged with exercising his discretion in an arbitrary or biased way.
- As a result, people may believe that the decision-making process is opaque or unfair.
- For instance, in Kihoto Hollohan v. Zachilhu and Others (1992), the Supreme Court ruled that the Speaker must remove a member from office in an unbiased and impartial manner.
- In addition, a judge is reviewing the Speaker’s decision.
Managing disruptions:
- The Speaker is in charge of upholding decorum and order in the Lok Sabha.
- On occasion, the
- Speaker has come under fire for how they have managed disturbances in the chamber.
Relations with the media:
- The Speaker is supposed to be the house’s spokesperson. However, there have been times when the Speaker has come under fire for how they interact with the media and for not giving them enough details about the house’s activities.
Managing disqualification cases:
- The Speaker is in charge of making decisions regarding cases involving the removal of House members from office. In the past, the Speaker has come under fire for how they have handled these cases.
- Karnataka MLA disqualification case, 2019 as an example The Speaker’s quasi-judicial authority when handling disqualification petitions is something the Supreme Court advised the Parliament to change in the Constitution.
Steps to make the office of the Speaker more effective:
- In carrying out its duties, the Office of the Speaker in India is a dynamic, living institution that responds to the real needs and issues facing Parliament.
- To increase its efficacy, consider the following global examples:
United Kingdom:
- The Speaker of the House of Commons in the United Kingdom is customarily obliged to resign from their political party upon being elected to the role in order to maintain the office’s impartiality.
Canada:
- The Speaker of the House may convene ministers to answer questions and conduct investigations into public interest.
- This could broaden the Speaker’s purview and increase the accountability of the executive branch to the legislature.
- In summary, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha holds a significant and esteemed constitutional role; however, it is not impervious to criticism and controversy.
- Therefore, it is imperative that the Speaker maintains fairness, impartiality, and transparency in the performance of their duties.