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Current Affairs
Title : Speaker pro tem, Speaker, Deputy Speaker: Constitutional position, History & Conventions
Date : Jun 24, 2024
Description :
Today, new session of Lok Sabha is going to be started.President of India has appointed seven-time MP Bhartruhari Mahtab as the ‘Speaker pro tem’ of the 18th Lok Sabha. The election of the full-time Speaker is scheduled for June 26.
Speaker pro tem:
Article 94 of the Constitution states that the Speaker of the Lok Sabha shall continue in his/her office upto the first meeting of the Lok Sabha after its dissolution. It is to ensure that the office of the Speaker shall never left vacant.
Hence, the Speaker of the 17th Lok Sabha, Om Birla continues as speaker till June 24 when the first meeting of the 18th Lok Sabha is scheduled.
Article 95(1) of the Constitution provides that when the post of Speaker and Deputy Speaker is vacant, the President shall appoint a member of the Lok Sabha to perform the duties of the Speaker.
Hence, the President appoints ‘Speaker pro tem’ under this provision till the full-time Speaker is elected. The term ‘pro tem’ means ‘for the time being’ or ‘temporary’.
This term ‘pro tem Speaker' is not found in the Constitution or rules of Lok Sabha but is a conventional term which finds mention in the ‘Handbook on the working of Ministry of Parliamentary affairs.’
As per tradition, one of the senior-most members of the Lok Sabha is selected by the government, who is then administered oath by the President. The Speaker pro tem administers oath of office to other MPs and presides over the election of full-time Speaker.
Election of Speaker and Deputy Speaker
Article 93 of the Constitution states that the two members of Lok Sabha shall be elected as its Speaker and Deputy Speaker. The election of the Speaker is held on a date fixed by the President.The election of Deputy Speaker is held on a date fixed by the Speaker.
Till now all the Speakers have been elected unopposed.
Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha
When the Speaker of The Lok Sabha is temporarily absent, the Deputy Speaker serves as acting Speaker. In Lok Sabha, the Speaker has no control over the Deputy Speaker.
The Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha normally serves the whole term (5 years) of the Lok Sabha.
History
In India the post of the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker have come into existence as early as 1921, following the requirements of the Government of India Act of 1919.
However, these very titles were President and Deputy President, respectively.
In 1935, the government passed an act that changed these nomenclatures to “Speaker” and “Deputy Speaker.”
Conventions:
In Britain, the Speaker once elected to his/her office, resigns from the political party to which he/she belonged. In subsequent elections to House of Commons, he/she seeks election not as a member of any political party but as ‘The Speaker seeking re-election’.
In India, while the Tenth Schedule allows a Speaker to resign from their political party on being elected to their office, it has never been done by any Speaker till date.
Deputy Speaker:- The convention of offering the post of Deputy Speaker to the Opposition started in the year 1991. Thereafter, till the 16th Lok Sabha this has been followed, but from 17th Lok sabha this convention was not followed.