The speaker of the Lok Sabha is the presiding officer of the Lower House of Parliament. He or she is responsible for the conduct of affairs and for the passage of laws by the House. The concept of the leader/presiding officer was introduced in the Government of India Act, 1919. That was an offshoot of the Montagu-Chelmsford reforms, which were aimed at giving representation to Indians during British colonial rule. In the original 1919 law, the speaker and the deputy speaker were called the president and the vice president. The president and the vice president had more or less similar functions as the speaker and the deputy speaker have in the modern-day Parliament.
The Government of India Act was re-enacted in 1935, wherein the words president and vice president were replaced by speaker/deputy speaker. Subsequently, when the Constitution of India came into force after independence, the posts of speaker and deputy speaker were retained without much deliberation.
Article 93 of the Constitution says, “The House of the People shall, as soon as may be, choose two members of the House to be respectively Speaker and Deputy Speaker.” The Constitution also mandates that if the post of the speaker falls vacant, it should immediately be filled up.
How is a speaker chosen?
Usually, a member of the ruling party/coalition is elected as speaker. Once the general election concludes, the MPs select a name among themselves and send it to the President of India, who then calls for an election of speaker, and sets the date for the vote. The House elects its presiding officer by a simple majority of members present.
Unwritten convention dictates that the speaker enjoys the respect of all sections of the Lok Sabha (the ruling party and the opposition). The speaker also does not involve himself or herself in the debates in Parliament.
When the Lok Sabha is dissolved, the speaker remains in office until the first meeting of the new assembly, when the new speaker is elected.
When can a speaker be removed?
A speaker can be removed by a vote of the majority of MPs. The reasons for removal could be resignation from the House, disqualification from Parliament or loss of faith by MPs.
A resolution to remove a speaker can be passed only after a 14-day notice is given. A speaker is allowed to attend the proceedings for his or her removal, but cannot preside over it. He or she can, however, vote in the first instance.