Q. Consider the following statements about the office of Lok Sabha Speaker:
1. S/he can be removed by a resolution passed by the Lok Sabha by an effective majority.
2. S/he has not been given any voting power in the Lok Sabha, except on his removal motion.
3. After being appointed as Speaker, he/ she resigns from his/her party to remain politically neutral.
4. The salaries and allowances of the Speaker are charged on the Consolidated Fund of India.
How many of the above given statements are correct?
Exp) Option b is the correct answer.
A number of safeguards are taken to ensure the independence and impartiality of the office of the Speaker.
Statement 1 is correct: The Speaker is provided with a security of tenure. He can be removed only by a resolution passed by the Lok Sabha by an effective majority (i.e., a majority of all the then members of the House) and not by an ordinary majority (i.e., a majority of the members present and voting in the House).
Statement 2 is incorrect: The Speaker cannot vote on a bill in the Lok Sabha in the first instance. He can exercise a casting vote in the event of a tie. This makes the position of Speaker impartial.
Statement 3 is incorrect: In Britain, the Speaker is strictly a nonparty man. There is a convention that the Speaker has to resign from his party and remain politically neutral. This healthy convention is not fully established in India where the Speaker does not resign from the membership of his party on his election to the exalted office.
Statement 4 is correct: The salaries and allowances of the Speaker are fixed by Parliament, and they are charged on the Consolidated Fund of India (I.e., not subjected to the Parliamentary approval).
| Important Tips Other provisions to ensure the independence and impartiality of the office of the Speaker: • His work and conduct cannot be discussed and criticized in the Lok Sabha except on a substantive motion. • His powers of regulating procedure or conducting business or maintaining order in the House are not subject to the jurisdiction of any Court. |
