Do you think the Speaker of the Lok Sabha can remain completely impartial despite belonging to a political party? Discuss with reasons and examples.

Reasons which support impartiality:

1. Once elected, the Speaker does not have affiliation to any party and acts in an impartial manner as the guardian of the rights and privileges of the members.
2. The Speaker votes only in case of a tie, when there are equal votes on both sides.
3. The Speaker is answerable only to the House, and no court can question the merits of the Speaker's rulings.
4. Shri N. Sanjiva Reddy resigned from his political party after being elected Speaker in 1967 to emphasise the neutrality of the office.

Reasons which raise doubts about impartiality:

1. The Speaker is elected from among the members of the Lok Sabha and generally belongs to the ruling party.
2. The Speaker exercises important discretionary powers, such as deciding the admissibility of questions, resolutions and adjournment motions, certifying a Money Bill, and deciding disqualification under the Anti-Defection Law.

The office of the Speaker is expected to function impartially and independently, but the extent of impartiality depends on the conduct of the Speaker and the constitutional conventions followed.