The second phase of the Budget Session of the Indian Parliament will begin from Monday, March 9. On the same day, the opposition’s proposal to remove Speaker Om Birla from the post will be discussed in the Lok Sabha.
New Delhi: In the Parliament of India, the discussion on constitutional and parliamentary rules has intensified regarding the proposal to remove the Speaker of the Lok Sabha. The issue will be considered in the second phase of the budget session of Parliament. According to parliamentary procedures, if a motion for removal is brought against a Lok Sabha Speaker, he or she cannot preside over that meeting, although he or she continues to have the right to participate in the discussion and vote.
This issue has become a topic of discussion after the opposition started the process of bringing a motion against the current Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. Under parliamentary rules, when this proposal is discussed in the House, Birla will not conduct the proceedings of the House and will sit in his seat like other MPs.
Possibility of discussion on the proposal in the budget session
The second phase of the budget session of Parliament is scheduled to begin from March 9. During this time, the proposal to remove the Speaker can be discussed in the Lok Sabha. According to the rules, the officer against whom the motion has been brought cannot preside over the House at that time. However, they have every right to present their views and express their views in response to the allegations. Apart from this, he can also participate in the voting on the proposal.
According to former Lok Sabha Secretary General and constitutional expert PDT Achary, there is a clear provision in the Indian Constitution and parliamentary traditions that in case of a motion against the Speaker, he cannot preside during the discussion. He told that in this situation the Speaker of the Lok Sabha will have to sit like other members of the House and if he wishes, he can also give a statement in his defence. After this, there will be voting on the proposal in which they will also have the right to vote.
How will the voting process take place?
Since the Speaker does not normally use the automated voting system, in this situation he will have to follow a special procedure to register his vote. According to experts, they may have to register their vote by filling a slip for voting. This procedure is adopted because the officer presiding over the House is not normally actively involved in the voting process.
In such a situation, there is no clear provision in the rules as to where the Speaker will be seated in the House. However, experts believe that he could possibly be made to sit at a place which is usually reserved for a Union Minister coming from the Rajya Sabha. This arrangement can be made because only members of the Lok Sabha can vote on the proposal. During this, the Speaker will have to follow the same procedure as other MPs.
What are the rules for bringing a proposal
Signatures of at least two Lok Sabha members are required to bring a motion to remove the Speaker of the Lok Sabha. However, more MPs can also sign the notice. The procedure for removing the Speaker of the Lok Sabha from the post has been prescribed under Article 94 of the Constitution of India. According to this, if the motion is passed by simple majority in the House, the Speaker has to step down.
Here simple majority means that voting is calculated on the basis of effective member strength of the House. That is, the majority is determined on the basis of the total effective membership of the House rather than only the members present and voting.
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