Directions of the Speaker
Also called: Speaker's Directions · Topic: Parliamentary Procedure, Committees and Privileges · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Directions of the Speaker are written instructions that the Lok Sabha Speaker issues to guide how the House runs its business. They are internal House rules, not a law passed by Parliament. They fill in the details that the Rules of Procedure leave open. They matter because the rule of needing one-tenth of the seats to be recognised as the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) comes from these Directions. It does not come from the Salary and Allowances of Leaders of Opposition in Parliament Act, 1977, which only asks for the Opposition party with the "greatest numerical strength". In 2014 the Speaker said the House itself could change this rule.
Example
After the 2014 election, Congress was the largest Opposition party with 44 seats. One-tenth of the 543 elected seats is about 55, so Congress fell short. Speaker Sumitra Mahajan relied on the Directions and did not recognise an LoP. A House rule outside the 1977 Act decided who could hold an office that the Act creates.
Don't confuse with
- Rules of Procedure of the Lok Sabha: the House as a whole makes these under its power to set its own rules (Art. 118). The Speaker alone issues the Directions to explain and add to those rules.
- Salary and Allowances of Leaders of Opposition in Parliament Act, 1977: this is a law passed by Parliament that gives the LoP office statutory recognition. It has no 10% condition.