Sardar Hukam Singh was elected to the Constituent Assembly of India in April 1948 as a member of the Akali Dal.
He was unanimously elected as the Deputy Speaker of the second Lok Sabha even when he was a member of the opposition. In 1962 Hukam Singh was elected to Parliament on a Congress ticket and was unanimously elected as Speaker.

Hukam Singh served from April 17, 1962 till March 16, 1967.

As Speaker, Hukam Singh was convinced of the importance of the rules and conventions in ensuring a smooth functioning of the House. He had a progressive bend of mind and was always in search of methods and devices to improve the effectiveness of the House.

During his Speakership, for the first time in the history of the Lok Sabha, a motion of no-confidence against the council of ministers was admitted and discussed in August 1963.