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Indian PolityHardAsked in: UPSC CAPF · CAPF 2023, Paper I

Who among the following was the first pro-tem Speaker to be unanimously elected as the Speaker of the Lok Sabha?

  1. A.Rabi Ray
  2. B.Hiren Mukherjee
  3. C.Somnath Chatterjee
  4. D.P.A. Sangma

Correct answer

C. Somnath Chatterjee

Explanation

The correct answer is C, Somnath Chatterjee. In June 2004 he served as pro-tem Speaker of the 14th Lok Sabha and was then elected Speaker unanimously, the first pro-tem Speaker to become Speaker in this way.

A pro-tem Speaker is a senior member appointed by the President under Article 99 to administer the oath to new members and to preside until the Speaker is elected; the office then ends. Somnath Chatterjee, a ten-time member from West Bengal and a leader of the CPI(M), was the senior-most member in 2004, so he was made pro-tem Speaker. All parties then backed him, and he was elected Speaker unopposed on 4 June 2004, holding the office until 2009.

A is wrong because Rabi Ray, Speaker of the 9th Lok Sabha (1989), had not been pro-tem Speaker. B is wrong because Hiren Mukherjee was a noted CPI parliamentarian but never Speaker. D is wrong because P.A. Sangma was elected Speaker of the 11th Lok Sabha in 1996 without serving as pro-tem Speaker first.

Exam tip: Pro-tem Speaker is appointed by the President; Somnath Chatterjee went from pro-tem to Speaker in 2004.

Practice Questions

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Q2.Indian PolityAsked in: CDS · CDS-II 2022, GKHard

Which one of the following statements is correct ?

  1. A.Under Article 21A of the Constitution of India, the State shall provide free and compulsory education to all children up to the age of eleven years.
  2. B.Every religious denomination has got absolute power under Article 26 of the Constitution of India to manage its own affairs in matters of religion.
  3. C.Only religious and linguistic minorities find mention in Article 30 of the Constitution of India in reference to the right to establish educational institutions of their choice.
  4. D.Parliament cannot empower, even by law, any court other than the Supreme Court of India the power to issue writs within local limits of its jurisdiction.
Show answer
Correct answer: C. Only religious and linguistic minorities find mention in Article 30 of the Constitution of India in reference to the right to establish educational institutions of their choice.

Article 30 gives all minorities, whether based on religion or language, the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice, and names no other kind of minority.