Each House of Parliament has a presiding officer who conducts its proceedings and maintains order and discipline.
The principal presiding officers are:
The constitutional provisions are mainly found in:
Articles 89 and 90 → Rajya Sabha
Articles 93 and 94 → Lok Sabha
The:
Vice-President of India
is the:
Ex-officio Chairman of Rajya Sabha
This means the Vice-President becomes Chairman by virtue of holding the office of Vice-President.
The Chairman:
Vice-President → Chairman of Rajya Sabha
Rajya Sabha chooses one of its members as:
Deputy Chairman
The Deputy Chairman:
The Deputy Chairman:
Is a member of Rajya Sabha
while the Chairman:
Is not a member of Rajya Sabha
The Deputy Chairman can be removed by:
A resolution of Rajya Sabha
The resolution requires:
Majority of all the then members of the House
A notice of at least:
14 days
is required before moving the resolution.
Deputy Chairman → Removed by Rajya Sabha
The Chairman of Rajya Sabha generally:
Does not vote in the first instance
But in case of:
Equality of votes
the Chairman exercises:
Casting vote
Chairman → Casting Vote
The:
Speaker
is the principal presiding officer of Lok Sabha.
Under:
Article 93
Lok Sabha chooses:
from among its members.
The Speaker is elected by:
Lok Sabha
from among its members.
The Speaker continues in office until:
The Speaker can be removed by:
A resolution of Lok Sabha
The resolution requires:
Majority of all the then members of the House
A notice of at least:
14 days
must be given.
Speaker → Removed by Lok Sabha
Normally, the Speaker's office is closely connected with the life of Lok Sabha.
However, the Constitution provides that the Speaker does not vacate office immediately upon dissolution.
The Speaker continues in office until:
Immediately before the first sitting of the newly elected Lok Sabha
This ensures continuity during the transition between two Lok Sabhas.
Speaker → Continues after dissolution until immediately before first sitting of new Lok Sabha
Lok Sabha chooses:
Deputy Speaker
from among its members.
The Deputy Speaker:
The Deputy Speaker can be removed by:
A resolution of Lok Sabha
The resolution requires:
Majority of all the then members of the House
A notice of at least:
14 days
is required.
| Feature | Speaker | Deputy Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| House | Lok Sabha | Lok Sabha |
| Elected by | Lok Sabha | Lok Sabha |
| Must be member? | Yes | Yes |
| Presides | Normally | When Speaker is absent |
| Removal | Lok Sabha | Lok Sabha |
| Notice for removal | 14 days | 14 days |
| Feature | Rajya Sabha Chairman | Lok Sabha Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| Office holder | Vice-President | Elected member |
| Member of House? | No | Yes |
| House | Rajya Sabha | Lok Sabha |
| Election by House | No | Yes |
| Casting vote | Yes | Yes |
| Presiding officer | Yes | Yes |
Presiding officers are expected to function impartially and maintain the dignity of Parliament.
The Speaker in particular plays an important role in:
The Speaker of Lok Sabha decides whether a Bill is a:
Money Bill
The Speaker's certification is important because:
Money Bills can be introduced only in Lok Sabha
and Rajya Sabha has a limited role in their consideration.
Money Bill → Speaker's Certification
Under the:
Tenth Schedule
questions of disqualification of members on grounds of defection are decided by:
Speaker of Lok Sabha
For Rajya Sabha members, the corresponding authority is:
Chairman of Rajya Sabha
These decisions are subject to:
Judicial Review
The presiding officer generally does not vote during the first instance.
When votes are equally divided:
Casting Vote
may be exercised.
This applies to:
Equality of votes → Casting vote
The Chairman of Rajya Sabha nominates:
A panel of Vice-Chairpersons
A member of this panel can preside over the House when:
The panel performs the presiding function subject to constitutional and procedural provisions.
The Speaker of Lok Sabha nominates:
A panel of Chairpersons
A member of the panel can preside over the House when:
The Speaker and Deputy Speaker are absent
The panel does not continue beyond:
The dissolution of the Lok Sabha
If the office of Chairman becomes vacant:
Vice-President's office itself is vacant
the Deputy Chairman or another authorised person performs the relevant duties according to constitutional provisions.
If the office of Speaker becomes vacant:
Deputy Speaker
performs the duties.
The Constitution also provides mechanisms for dealing with vacancies in the offices of presiding officers.
The Speaker has a particularly important constitutional position because the office is central to:
Parliamentary procedure
and:
Financial legislation
The Speaker's decisions on procedural matters can have significant constitutional consequences.
When a:
Joint Sitting of Parliament
is held under Article 108:
The sitting is presided over by:
Speaker of Lok Sabha
If the Speaker is absent:
Deputy Speaker
presides.
If both are absent:
Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha
may preside.
Joint Sitting → Speaker
Remember the sequence:
Speaker
↓
Deputy Speaker
↓
Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha
The Chairman of Rajya Sabha does not ordinarily preside over a joint sitting because the Vice-President is not a member of either House.
| Article | Subject |
|---|---|
| Article 89 | Chairman and Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha |
| Article 90 | Vacation and resignation of Deputy Chairman |
| Article 91 | Power of Deputy Chairman or other person to perform duties |
| Article 92 | Chairman/Deputy Chairman not to preside during removal motion |
| Article 93 | Speaker and Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha |
| Article 94 | Vacation and resignation of Speaker/Deputy Speaker |
| Article 95 | Power of Deputy Speaker or other person to perform duties |
| Article 96 | Speaker/Deputy Speaker not to preside during removal motion |
| Article 100 | Voting and casting vote |
| Article 108 | Joint sitting |
Vice-President
↓
Not a member
Elected by Rajya Sabha
↓
Member of Rajya Sabha
Elected by Lok Sabha
↓
Member of Lok Sabha
Elected by Lok Sabha
↓
Member of Lok Sabha
Vice-President → Ex-officio Chairman of Rajya Sabha
Chairman → Not a member of Rajya Sabha
Deputy Chairman → Member of Rajya Sabha
Speaker → Member of Lok Sabha
Deputy Speaker → Member of Lok Sabha
Article 89 → Rajya Sabha presiding officers
Article 93 → Lok Sabha presiding officers
Speaker → Money Bill certification
Speaker/Chairman → Anti-defection decisions
Casting vote → Equality of votes
Joint Sitting → Speaker
"The Vice-President is a member of Rajya Sabha."
False
The Vice-President is:
Ex-officio Chairman
but is not a member of Rajya Sabha.
"The Chairman of Rajya Sabha is elected by Rajya Sabha."
False
The Vice-President is the:
Ex-officio Chairman
"The Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha is appointed by the President."
False
The Deputy Chairman is:
Chosen by Rajya Sabha from among its members
"The Speaker is appointed by the President."
False
The Speaker is:
Elected by Lok Sabha from among its members
"The Speaker immediately vacates office when Lok Sabha is dissolved."
False
The Speaker continues until:
Immediately before the first sitting of the newly elected Lok Sabha
"The Speaker always has a regular vote."
False
The Speaker generally votes only when there is:
Equality of votes
"The Chairman of Rajya Sabha presides over a joint sitting."
False
The:
Speaker of Lok Sabha
presides over a joint sitting.
"The Speaker has no role in Money Bills."
False
The Speaker certifies whether a Bill is a:
Money Bill
Rajya Sabha
↓
Chairman → Vice-President
Deputy Chairman → Elected by Rajya Sabha
Lok Sabha
↓
Speaker → Elected by Lok Sabha
Deputy Speaker → Elected by Lok Sabha
Money Bill
↓
Speaker's Certification
Anti-Defection
↓
Speaker / Chairman
↓
Judicial Review
Joint Sitting
↓
Speaker of Lok Sabha
Presiding officers are essential for ensuring:
Order + Impartiality + Procedural Discipline + Legislative Functioning
The Speaker and Chairman are expected to protect the dignity and functioning of Parliament while balancing:
Majority Rule + Minority Rights + Parliamentary Procedure
The Speaker's role is particularly important in financial legislation, parliamentary procedure and anti-defection matters.
Therefore, the effectiveness and neutrality of presiding officers are important for:
Healthy Parliamentary Democracy