Om Birla has been elected as the Speaker of the 18th Lok Sabha. Thus, he has got the honor of being the speaker for the second time in a row. In this news package you can see what are the tasks for him.
As there are no specific qualifications to become Speaker, the Lok Sabha has the right to consider any member elected to Parliament as Speaker. However, the post of Speaker is completely different from other members of the Lok Sabha.
From sitting in the prime seat of the Lok Sabha, the Speaker’s role is very important, starting from conducting the House and conducting the polls at required times.
In addition to taking charge of the House, it is the Speaker’s job to focus more on conducting the proceedings effectively. Also, the Speaker’s duties include exercising important constitutional functions and, at critical times, disqualifying members of the House.
While the Speaker decides how to conduct the Lok Sabha, he consults and decides on government affairs.
The Speaker decides on the acceptance of announcements of resolutions, bills, amendments etc. And no business can be brought before the House without the permission of the Speaker.
In Parliament, Members of Parliament can debate or ask questions on any matter with the prior permission of the Speaker.
The Speaker has wide powers to ensure that the rules and procedures for the functioning of the House as laid down in the Constitution of India are duly followed and to select procedures.
It is the Speaker’s responsibility to ensure that Members of Parliament follow the rules properly and ensure that the House is in good order.
In case of serious disturbances, the Speaker has the power to adjourn and suspend the business of the House.
The Speaker reserves the right to examine the admissibility of questions raised by a member and to accept or reject them.
Also, the Speaker has the power to remove from the list, in whole or in part, comments that he considers to be degrading to the dignity of Parliament or against Parliament.
The rules also say that critical comments against the ruling party cannot be published if the Speaker removes them from the House notes.
Even if he is a Member of Parliament, the Speaker cannot vote in any referendum. During a poll, the Speaker can only cast a vote in the rare case of a tie.
All committees of the House function under the overall control and direction of the Speaker. Also, the Speaker appoints leaders for the respective committees and gives necessary advice regarding the procedure to be followed in the committees.
It is worth mentioning that the House’s Business Advisory Committee, General Purposes Committee and Rules Committee work directly under the chairmanship of the Speaker.
The Speaker is also empowered to certify bills related to finance and take final decisions on financial matters.
The Anti-Defection Act of 1985 gives the Speaker the power to disqualify members of Parliament who defect from one party to another. The Supreme Court has also upheld this power given to the Speaker.
This important power of Speaker helps to preserve the stability of the government in times of crisis. .
In case of disagreement or conflict between the two Houses of the Parliament on some important issues, the Speaker will preside over the joint meeting of the two Houses.
The salary of the Speaker of the Lok Sabha is paid from the Consolidated Fund of India. Moreover, the power of the Speaker can be understood from the fact that the Speaker’s behavior can be discussed in the House only by bringing a resolution.
The work of the Speaker, who is the principal presiding officer of the House of Parliament leading a country, is very special.
