Question

Which one among the following is a function of the Pro-Tem Speaker of the Lok Sabha?
A. Conduct of the proceedings of the House in the absence of the Speaker
B. To check if the election certificates of the members of the House are in order
C. Swear in the members of the House and hold the charge till a regular Speaker is elected
D. Give his assent to the bills passed by the House

Answer 1

Hint: The Lok Sabha elects the Speaker from amongst its members. She is the representative of the Lok Sabha and its head too. He is the guardian of powers and privileges of the members, its committees, and the House as a whole.

Complete answer:
The Speaker remains in office during the life of the Lok Sabha. However, in three cases he has to vacate his seat earlier. The first case is when he provides his written resignation to the Deputy Speaker. The second case is if he ceases to be a member of the Lok Sabha. The third and the last case is if he is removed by a resolution passed by a majority of all the members of the Lok Sabha. For such a resolution a 14-day advance notice has to be provided to the Speaker.
Before the first meeting of the newly-elected, the Speaker of the last Lok Sabha vacates his office immediately Lok Sabha as provided by the Constitution. Therefore, the Speaker Pro Tem is appointed by the President from the members of the Lok Sabha.
All the powers of the Speaker are possessed by the Speaker Pro Tem. The first sitting of the newly-elected Lok Sabha is presided over by him. Administering oath to the new members is his main duty. The new Speaker of the House is also elected in his presence.
The office of the Speaker Pro Tem ceases to exist when the new Speaker is elected by the House. Hence, this office exists for just a few days and is a temporary office.

Thus, option (C) is correct.

Note: The senior-most member is usually selected for this position of the Speaker Pro Tem and the oath to the Speaker Pro Tem is administered by the President himself. In the 17th Lok Sabha, Virendra Kumar was sworn in as the Speaker Pro Tem.