Disruption in Houses a Serious Challenge to Democracy, Raising Public Trust is Our Responsibility: Lok Sabha Speaker
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has stated that disruptions in Parliament represent a serious challenge to democracy and that raising public trust in legislative institutions is the collective responsibili
What happened
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has stated that disruptions in Parliament represent a serious challenge to democracy and that raising public trust in legislative institutions is the collective responsibility of all elected representatives. The Speaker's remarks come against the backdrop of repeated adjournments and washouts of parliamentary sessions in recent years, with both the ruling party and opposition frequently resorting to disruptions to press their demands. Parliament is the supreme deliberative body under the Indian Constitution, and its productive functioning is essential for legislative business, accountability of the executive, and democratic legitimacy. Persistent disruptions erode the quality of law-making, reduce the time available for debates and Question Hour, and diminish citizens' faith in elected institutions. The Speaker's role as the constitutional guardian of parliamentary proceedings makes such a statement significant in the context of ongoing reforms to parliamentary conduct. For UPSC aspirants, this issue intersects with constitutional provisions on parliamentary procedure, the role of the Speaker, anti-defection law, and broader questions of democratic accountability and governance quality.
The Lok Sabha Speaker is elected by members of the Lok Sabha and holds office during the life of the House.
●Under Article 93, the House elects a Speaker and Deputy Speaker.
●The Speaker's salary is charged to the Consolidated Fund of India, ensuring independence.
●Key powers include maintaining order, certifying Money Bills (Article 110), deciding disqualification under the Tenth Schedule (anti-defection), and presiding over joint sittings (Article 118). The Speaker does not vote in the first instance but exercises a casting vote in case of a tie.
●Disruptions leading to adjournments reduce the productive time of Parliament — the 17th Lok Sabha saw significant session time lost to disruptions, impacting Question Hour, Zero Hour, and legislative business.
●The Speaker can suspend members under Rule 374 of the Lok Sabha Rules of Procedure.
The Lok Sabha Speaker is both a constitutional authority and a custodian of democratic deliberation, with powers ranging from certifying Money Bills to adjudicating anti-defection cases under the Tenth Schedule.
◎ In Simple Words
Imagine your school's student council keeps getting interrupted every time someone tries to speak — nothing gets decided and everyone goes home frustrated. That is what happens when India's Parliament gets disrupted repeatedly. The Lok Sabha Speaker, who is like the referee of Parliament, said these disruptions are very harmful to democracy and that all MPs must work together to make people trust Parliament again. When Parliament works well, important laws get made and ministers answer tough questions — but when it is always noisy and adjourned, the country loses out.
Factual Pointers
Practice · 1 question
Which of the following statements regarding the powers of the Lok Sabha Speaker is/are correct?
1. The Speaker's salary is charged to the Consolidated Fund of India.
2. The Speaker votes in the first instance like other members and also has a casting vote.
3. The Speaker is the presiding authority for joint sittings of both Houses of Parliament.
4. The Speaker's decision on certifying a Money Bill is subject to judicial review.