NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has emphasised that legislators should remain respectful even while expressing dissent, as it scheduled the final hearing of a plea challenging the expulsion of RJD leader Sunil Kumar Singh from the Bihar Legislative Council. Singh was expelled for his remarks against Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh has fixed January 9 for a detailed hearing on the matter. The bench made the observation after prima facie disapproving of Singh’s statements made on February 13 last year during a heated exchange in the House.
"Legislators should be respectful even while dissenting," the bench remarked.
Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader, argued that freedom of speech inside the House had been granted wide latitude. He contended that another legislator who made similar remarks was only suspended, whereas Singh faced expulsion despite using just one word.
During Monday’s hearing, the bench questioned Singhvi, "This is how freedom of speech is used inside the House? You (Singhvi) are also a Member of Parliament. Do you subscribe to the use of such language against your opponents inside the House?"
Responding to the query, Singhvi said, "I do not subscribe to such language, but expulsion for the use of such language would make the opposition benches empty."
The bench then instructed Singhvi to be prepared for the final hearing and listed the matter for January 9. It also clarified that it would not allocate more than half an hour for arguments.
On 26 July last year, Singh was expelled from the Bihar Legislative Council for unruly behaviour in the House. The motion for his expulsion was passed by voice vote, a day after the ethics committee submitted its report to acting chairman Awadhesh Narain Singh.
Singh, who is considered close to RJD president Lalu Prasad and his family, was accused of raising slogans against Nitish Kumar during the heated exchange on 13 February. He was also charged with "insulting the chief minister by mimicking his body language" and, upon appearing before the committee, questioning the competence of its members.
In addition to Singh’s expulsion, another RJD MLC, Mohd Qari Sohaib, who also displayed disruptive behaviour on the same day, was suspended for two days.
The ethics committee’s report noted that while Sohaib expressed regret for his actions during the inquiry, Singh remained defiant.