GS Paper II — Q3
Examine whether the constitutional office of the Lok Sabha Speaker has become vulnerable to partisan politics under the current…
Examine whether the constitutional office of the Lok Sabha Speaker has become vulnerable to partisan politics under the current anti-defection regime. What institutional changes are required to ensure the neutrality of the Lok Sabha Speaker in managing a polarised House? (Answer in 150 words) 10 marks
हिंदी में प्रश्न पढ़ें
वर्तमान दल-बदल विरोधी व्यवस्था के अंतर्गत क्या लोकसभा अध्यक्ष का संवैधानिक पद दलगत राजनीति के कारण अतिसंवेदनशील हो गया है? परीक्षण कीजिए। ध्रुवीकृत सदन के प्रबंधन में लोकसभा अध्यक्ष की निष्पक्षता को सुनिश्चित करने में किन संस्थागत परिवर्तनों की आवश्यकता है? (उत्तर 150 शब्दों में दीजिए)
Model answer
Drafted with AI by UPSC Answer Check against this question's marking rubric, to the 150-word length. UPSC does not publish answers for Mains — this is one way to score well, not an official key. How we build rubrics and answers.
Article 93 creates the Speaker’s office, and the Tenth Schedule (52nd Amendment, 1985) makes the Speaker the sole authority on defection petitions. Kihoto Hollohan (1992) upheld this power subject to judicial review for mala fides, perversity or breach of natural justice, but a conflict of interest persists because the Speaker retains party allegiance. Prolonged inaction on defection petitions (e.g., the Maharashtra Shiv Sena and NCP splits, 2022–23) led the Supreme Court to prescribe time-bound disposal (Keisham Meghachandra, 2020; Padi Kaushik Reddy, 2025) and urge Parliament to revisit the Speaker's role. The Deputy Speaker's post stayed vacant through the entire 17th Lok Sabha. Yet judicial review and several impartial Speakers show the office is vulnerable, not captured.
Institutional Reforms
- Transfer defection adjudication to an independent tribunal, or to the President acting on Election Commission advice (Dinesh Goswami Committee, 2nd ARC).
- Institutionalise the British convention of the Speaker relinquishing party membership on election.
- Fill the Deputy Speaker's post promptly, by convention from the Opposition, with time-bound rules for disqualification petitions and suspension of members.
How this answer will be evaluated
Framework: GS2: Governance & Constitutional Mechanisms
What earns full marks: Analyzes the structural conflict in the Speaker's role under the 10th Schedule and offers specific, viable institutional reforms.
Evaluation rubric
Each sub-part is marked on its own, against the marks and word limit printed on the paper.
- The answer Examine whether the anti-defection regime has made the Speaker's office vulnerable to partisanship, and suggest institutional changes to secure neutrality in a polarised House. 10 marks · 150 words
examine— intro → how/why with reasoning → evidence → conclusion
Must cover
- Link anti-defection law to Speaker's partisan vulnerability
- Identify specific institutional changes for neutrality
- Address management of a polarised House
- Conclude with a balanced judgment on the office
Loses marks
- Reciting Article 93 or Tenth Schedule provisions without analysis
- Ignoring the anti-defection context
- Vague suggestions without institutional detail
Earns more
- Mention conflict of interest in disqualification decisions
- Reference the 10th Schedule mechanism
- Suggest an independent tribunal or time-bound disposal of disqualification petitions (e.g., three months per Keisham Meghachandra, 2020)
- Suggest an Opposition-held Deputy Speaker (post vacant through the 17th Lok Sabha) and fair rules on House time and suspension of members
Extra mark
- Cite Kihoto Hollohan (1992) on limited judicial review, or Subhash Desai (2023)/Padi Kaushik Reddy (2025) on delayed Speaker decisions
- Reference Dinesh Goswami Committee (1990), Law Commission's 170th Report or 2nd ARC on shifting defection adjudication to the President/Governor on EC advice
What "Examine" is asking you to do
Test the proposition the question puts to you and return a finding on how far it holds. Examine stems carry a claim, or ask whether something has happened, and expect evidence weighed both ways before the extent is stated — often with remedial measures attached.
Structure that answers it
Restate the claim as the question frames it → evidence that supports it → evidence that undercuts it → the conditions under which it holds → verdict on how far it stands
Where marks are lost
Stopping at description. An examination has to reach a finding, and “examine with justification” means the extent must be stated, not implied.
Practice this exact question
Write your answer and it is marked point by point against the model answer above — what you covered, what you missed, what you got wrong.
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