Discuss the role of the Vice-President of India as the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.
Approach · directive: “discuss”
What it asks · Explain the Vice-President's constitutional position as ex officio Chairman and how he presides, regulates and represents the House, with concerns about impartiality.
It asks 3 things — answer each
- Discuss: the constitutional basis of the Vice-President's position as ex officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha
- Discuss: the functions — presiding, regulating business, casting vote, committees, discipline and Tenth Schedule decisions
- Discuss: the concerns about impartiality, the safeguards, and the conventions that sustain the office
Open with · Article 89(1) makes the Vice-President ex officio Chairman of the Council of States; he presides over a House of which he is not a member (Article 64).
Cover
- Presiding: maintains order, decides who speaks, and rules on points of order under the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business.
- Regulating business: decides admissibility of notices, motions and questions; refers bills and subjects to committees.
- Casting vote: does not vote in the first instance, but breaks a tie (Article 100).
- Committees and discipline: chairs the Business Advisory and Rules Committees; enforces the rules; decides Tenth Schedule petitions, subject to judicial review.
- Contrast with the Speaker: no Money Bill certificate, which is the Speaker's final call under Article 110(3).
- Safeguards and concerns: removal needs a Rajya Sabha majority of all members and Lok Sabha agreement (Article 67(b)); he cannot preside meanwhile (Article 92).
- Way forward: consensus through the Business Advisory Committee and reasoned, timely anti-defection rulings.
Close with · Impartial, firm and consultative chairing keeps the Council of States a deliberative, revising chamber; the office ultimately rests on convention.
Add value (verified)
- Article 89(1) makes the Vice-President ex officio Chairman of the Council of States (Rajya Sabha).The Constitution of India (as on 1 May 2024), Article 89(1) — Legislative Department ↗“The Vice-President of India shall be ex officio Chairman of the Council of States.”
- Article 67(b): a Vice-President is removed by a Rajya Sabha resolution passed by a majority of all its then members and agreed to by the Lok Sabha.The Constitution of India (as on 1 May 2024) - Legislative Department ↗“resolution of the Council of States passed by a majority of all the then members of the Council and agreed to by the House of the People”
- Article 92: the Chairman shall not preside while a resolution for the Vice-President's removal is under consideration.The Constitution of India (as on 1 May 2024) - Legislative Department ↗“while any resolution for the removal of the Vice-President from his office is under consideration, the Chairman”
- Article 110(3): the Lok Sabha Speaker, not the Rajya Sabha Chairman, finally decides whether a Bill is a Money Bill.The Constitution of India (as on 1 May 2024) - Legislative Department ↗“If any question arises whether a Bill is a Money Bill or not, the decision of the Speaker of the House of the People thereon shall be final.”
- Tenth Schedule, paragraph 6: questions of disqualification on defection are referred to the Chairman or Speaker, whose decision is final.The Constitution of India (as on 1 May 2024) - Legislative Department ↗“the question shall be referred for the decision of the Chairman or, as the case may be, the Speaker of such House and his decision shall be final”
- Article 94(c): the Lok Sabha Speaker is removed by a resolution of the Lok Sabha passed by a majority of all its then members.The Constitution of India (as on 1 May 2024) - Legislative Department ↗“may be removed from his office by a resolution of the House of the People passed by a majority of all the then members of the House”
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2022, GS Paper II — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 3 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·
Model answer· 221words · Minimalist IAS
Article 89(1) makes the Vice-President 'ex officio Chairman of the Council of States'. He presides over a House he is not a member of (Article 64), so his authority rests on neutrality.
Presiding over the Rajya Sabha
- Order and decorum: decides who speaks and rules on points of order under the House's Rules of Procedure.
- Regulating business: decides admissibility of notices, motions and questions; refers bills to committees.
- Casting vote: votes only to break a tie (Article 100).
Committees and discipline
- Committees: chairs the Business Advisory and Rules Committees.
- Discipline: enforces the rules against disorderly members, up to suspension.
- Anti-defection: under the Tenth Schedule, his decision on disqualification is final, subject to judicial review.
| Aspect | Rajya Sabha Chairman | Lok Sabha Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| Money Bill certificate | No role | Final (Article 110(3)) |
| Removal | RS resolution, LS agrees | LS resolution |
Safeguards and concerns
- Protected tenure: removal needs a Rajya Sabha resolution by a majority of all its members, agreed to by the Lok Sabha (Article 67(b)); he cannot preside meanwhile (Article 92).
- Contested rulings: suspension and anti-defection disputes test his neutrality.
Way forward
- Consensus: settle the agenda with all parties in the Business Advisory Committee.
- Reasoned rulings: decide Tenth Schedule petitions promptly, with reasons.
The office rests on convention: impartial, firm and consultative chairing keeps the Council of States a revising chamber, not an arena.
Prepared by Minimalist IAS to the answer standard of Shivam Singh (mentor, 7 years) · facts checked against official sources (how we verify) · updated 3 Oct 2026. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.
