Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha

Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha
Post	Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha
Department	Parliament of India
Seat	Sansad Bhavan
Appointer	Members of the Lok Sabha
Termlength	During the life of the Lok Sabha (maximum five years)
Inaugural	Anand Narain Mulla

Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha The Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha is the second-highest presiding officer in the lower house of the Parliament of India, acting as deputy to the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and presiding over sittings of the Lok Sabha in the Speaker's absence. The office is grounded in the Constitution of India and interacts with institutions such as the President of India, the Union Cabinet, the Lok Sabha Secretariat, and parliamentary committees like the Public Accounts Committee and the Business Advisory Committee.

Role and Constitutional Position

The post is established under Article 93 of the Constitution of India alongside the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, and its occupant must be a sitting member of the Lok Sabha elected by fellow members; the role is analogous in some functions to the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha in the Rajya Sabha. The Deputy Speaker participates in constitutional conventions related to the Presidency of India and interacts with constitutional posts including the Chief Justice of India during joint sittings, and engages with bodies such as the Election Commission of India, the Attorney General of India, and the Comptroller and Auditor General of India on procedural and accountability matters. The office has been occupied by members from parties including the Indian National Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Janata Dal (Secular), the Bahujan Samaj Party, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, and the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

Election and Term

Election to the post follows the rules of procedure of the Lok Sabha and past practice from sessions convened under Speakers such as G.V. Mavalankar, Balram Jakhar, Somnath Chatterjee, and Meira Kumar. The Deputy Speaker is elected by a simple majority of members present and voting, similar to elections for the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and the Prime Minister of India's election within party groups. Tenures have coincided with terms of the Lok Sabha such as the 1st Lok Sabha, 7th Lok Sabha, 12th Lok Sabha, and 16th Lok Sabha; office-holders have resigned, been removed, or continued across administrations led by Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Manmohan Singh, and Narendra Modi.

Powers and Functions

The Deputy Speaker exercises presiding powers in the absence of the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and performs duties during divisions, quorum calls, and motions including those related to the Motion of No Confidence and the Money Bill procedure. The Deputy Speaker enforces standing orders of the Lok Sabha, applies precedents established in rulings by Speakers like Balram Jakhar and Somnath Chatterjee, and chairs the Committee of Privileges or other committees when designated, interacting with offices such as the Lok Sabha Secretariat and the Parliamentary Committee on Privileges. In matters of decorum and discipline the Deputy Speaker can name members under provisions mirrored in earlier rulings involving MPs like Somnath Chatterjee and Biju Patnaik, and coordinates procedures with the Serjeant-at-Arms of the Lok Sabha and the Secretary-General of the Lok Sabha.

Procedure and Conduct of Business

The Deputy Speaker follows the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha and applies parliamentary precedents from Speakers and Deputy Speakers across sessions like the Winter Session of Parliament and the Budget Session of Parliament. The office presides over question hours, private members' bills, adjournment motions, and zero hour interventions, and liaises with panels such as the Business Advisory Committee, the Rules Committee, and the Committee on Subordinate Legislation. In managing debate the Deputy Speaker must balance practices endorsed by constitutional authorities including the President of India and judicial interpretations from the Supreme Court of India, and coordinates security and access with agencies like the Central Reserve Police Force when required during joint or special sittings.

Historical List of Deputy Speakers

The lineage of office-holders extends from Anand Narain Mulla in the early years of the Parliament of India through figures such as S. V. Krishnamoorthy Rao, Shivraj Patil, Pataram Pannalal, Sushil Kumar Modi (note: different individual of same name in Bihar politics), Kariya Munda, Charanjit Singh Atwal, Dinesh Trivedi, Praful Patel, M. Thambidurai, Kariya Munda (again), M. Jaddu Krishnamurthy (historical variant), and contemporary holders from the 16th Lok Sabha and 17th Lok Sabha. Office-holders have represented states and territories including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, and Madhya Pradesh and have been members of parties such as the Indian National Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Notable Deputy Speakers and Controversies

Several Deputy Speakers have been prominent in parliamentary controversies and constitutional disputes, involving interactions with leaders such as Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Manmohan Singh, P. V. Narasimha Rao, H. D. Deve Gowda, and L. K. Advani. Disputes have touched on interpretations of the Constitution of India's Articles, precedents set during contentious sittings like those in the Emergency (India) period, rulings that invoked principles underlying the Money Bill classification, and courtroom review in the Supreme Court of India concerning parliamentary privilege. Noteworthy incidents involve clashes with parliamentary figures including Arun Jaitley, Sonia Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Shashi Tharoor, Meira Kumar, Somnath Chatterjee, Rajnath Singh, and Mulayam Singh Yadav, and have generated debate in media outlets and academic forums such as the Indian Law Institute and the Institute of Constitutional and Parliamentary Studies.

Category:Lok Sabha