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Pro tem speaker
Context:
During the first session of The 18th Lok Sabha the new Speaker of the House will be elected.
Who is a Pro Tem Speaker?
- The office of the Speaker becomes vacant immediately before the first meeting of the new Lok Sabha as per the second proviso to Article 94 of the Constitution.
- Until the speaker is appointed, the pro tem speaker is appointed to administer certain important duties.
- ‘Pro tem means ‘ for the time being’ or ‘temporarily’.
- As per Article 99 of the Constitution, every Member of the House shall, before taking his seat, make and subscribe before the President or some person appointed in that behalf by him, an oath or affirmation.
- The Constitution does not define a Pro tem Speaker, but the official “Handbook on the working of Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs” mentions the appointment and swearing in of a Pro tem Speaker.
- As per the Handbook on the working of the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs:
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- Appointment of Pro tem speaker:
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- When the speaker’s position is vacant before a new lok sabha meets, the duties of the Speaker are to be performed by a Member of the House appointed for this purpose by the President as Speaker pro tem.
- As soon as the new government is formed, the Legislative I Section of the Legislative Department of the government prepares a list of the seniormost Lok Sabha members.
- It is then submitted to the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs or the Prime Minister for identifying an MP as Speaker pro tem and another three members for oath-taking.
- Normally, a seniormost (in terms of number of years of membership of the House) MP is appointed as pro tem speaker and three other MP’s in terms of seniority are appointed to assist the pro tem speaker.
- Swearing in of Pro tem speaker:
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- After the approval of the Prime Minister, the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs gets the consent of these MPs.
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- After that, the Minister submits a note to the President seeking his approval to appoint the Speaker pro tem and the other three Members.
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- The President administers the oath to the Speaker pro tem in the Rashtrapati Bhawan.
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- The other three Members appointed by the President to assist him in administering the oath/ affirmation are administered the oath/affirmation by the Speaker pro tem in the Lok Sabha.
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- The Speaker pro tem then administers the oath/affirmation to the newly elected Members with the help of the three persons appointed by the President.
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