Point of order
Topic: Parliamentary Procedure, Committees and Privileges · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
A point of order is a member's objection that the House is breaking its own rules or the Constitution. In the Lok Sabha it is raised under Rule 376. The presiding officer must rule on it at once, and no debate on it is allowed. The ruling is final for that moment. It is a quick way for any member to keep proceedings within the rules.
Example
Suppose a member starts discussing a matter that the rules do not allow at that stage. Another member can rise on a point of order and say so. The Speaker then decides immediately whether the objection is valid.
Don't confuse with
- Privilege motion: deals with a breach of a member's or the House's special rights, such as a minister misleading the House. It goes to the Committee of Privileges. It is not a question of procedure that is decided on the spot.
Related concepts
- Speaker of the Lok Sabha
- Removal of the Speaker
- Casting vote
- Pro tem Speaker
- Deputy Speaker
- Panel of chairpersons
- Chairman of the Rajya Sabha
- Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha
- Panel of vice-chairpersons
- Voice vote