Indian Polity : Parliament

Q 11 / 51

UPSC CSE Prelims 2022

With reference to Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha, consider the following statements :

  1. As per the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha, the election of Deputy Speaker shall be held on such date as the Speaker may fix.
  2. There is a mandatory provision that the election of a candidate as Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha shall be from either the principal opposition party or the ruling party.
  3. The Deputy Speaker has the same power as of the Speaker when presiding over the sitting of the House and no appeal lies against his rulings.
  4. The well established parliamentary practice regarding the appointment of Deputy Speaker is that the motion is moved by the Speaker and duly seconded by the Prime Minister.
Which of the statements given above are correct ?

EXPLANATION

Correct Option

Statement 1 is correct. As per Rule 8 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha, the Speaker is responsible for fixing the date for the election of the Deputy Speaker.

Statement 3 is correct. When the Deputy Speaker presides over a sitting of the House, they exercise all the powers of the Speaker. In this capacity, their rulings are final and no appeal lies against them.

Incorrect Options

Statement 2 is incorrect. There is no mandatory constitutional or statutory provision that requires the election of the Deputy Speaker to be exclusively from either the principal opposition party or the ruling party. This arrangement is a parliamentary convention that has evolved over time, not a legal mandate.

Statement 4 is incorrect. The motion for the election of the Deputy Speaker is typically moved by a member of the House. There is no established parliamentary practice or rule that mandates this motion to be moved by the Speaker and seconded by the Prime Minister.

Based on the analysis of the statements:

  • Option (b) is incorrect because Statement 2 is not a mandatory provision.
  • Option (c) is incorrect as Statement 1 is correct, but Statement 4 is incorrect.
  • Option (d) is incorrect because both Statement 2 and Statement 4 are factually incorrect.
SOURCEIndian Polity by M. Laxmikanth, Chapter 22: Parliament