Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha

The Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha (IAST: Lok Sabhā Upādhyakṣa) is the second-highest ranking authority of the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the parliament of India. They act as the presiding authority in the event of leave or absence caused by the death or illness of the speaker of the Lok Sabha.As per Article 93 of the Constitution, it says that the House of the People (Lok Sabha) shall, as soon as may be, choose two members to be Speaker and Deputy Speaker so often as the offices become vacant. However, it does not provide a specific time frame. It is parliamentary convention to elect a deputy speaker of the Lok Sabha from a party other than the ruling party to run an accountable democratic parliament.

The deputy speaker is elected in the first meeting of the Lok Sabha after the general elections for a term of five years from among the members of the Lok Sabha. They hold office until either they cease to be members of the Lok Sabha or they resign. They can be removed from office by a resolution passed in the Lok Sabha by an effective majority of its members. In an effective majority, the majority should be 50% or more than 50% of the total strength of the house after removing the vacancies. Since the Deputy Speaker is accountable for the Lok Sabha, the elimination is done by the effective majority in the Lok Sabha only. There is no need to resign from their original party, though as a Deputy Speaker, they have to remain impartial.

The current Lok Sabha does not have a deputy speaker, and the post has been vacant since 23 June 2019. In February 2023, Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud led a body seeking responses on public interest litigation contending that the protracted vacancy is “against the letter and spirit of the Constitution".