Q. With reference to the “Speaker of the Lok Sabha”, consider the following statements.
1. He/she is the guardian of powers and privileges of the committees of the Lok Sabha.
2. He/she is the chairman of the Committee on privileges.
3. He/she is the final interpreter of the Constitution of India within the house.
How many statements given above are correct?
Exp) Option b is the correct answer
The Speaker is the presiding officer of the Lok Sabha. He is elected by Lok Sabha from amongst its members (as soon as maybe, after its first sitting). Some of the roles, powers and functions exercised by the Speaker are:
Statement 1 is correct. The Speaker is the head of the Lok Sabha, and its representative. He is the guardian of powers and privileges of the members of the Lok Sabha, the House of the people as a whole and its committees (Chairman is responsible for the Rajya Sabha). He is the principal spokesman of the House. His decision in all Parliamentary matters is final.
Statement 2 is incorrect. The Speaker is responsible to appoint the chairman of all the parliamentary committees of the Lok Sabha. He also supervises their functioning. He himself is the chairman of the Business Advisory Committee, the Rules Committee and the General-Purpose Committee. The Chairman of the Privilege Committee shall be appointed by the Speaker from amongst the members of the Committee.
Statement 3 is correct. The Speaker is the final interpreter of the provisions of (a) the Constitution of India, (b) the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of Lok Sabha, and (c) the parliamentary precedents, within the House.
