SC asks Parliament to rethink power of Speaker in lawmaker disqualification

The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked Parliament to ponder over the power of the Speaker in deciding petitions seeking disqualification of lawmakers, observing that he also belong to a political party.

The suggestion for devising an independent mechanism to deal with disqualification pleas against lawmakers came in a judgment by which the top court asked the Manipur Assembly Speaker to decide within four weeks the plea of a Congress leader seeking disqualification of BJP lawmaker and Manipur Forest Minister Th Shyamkumar.

A bench headed by Justice R F Nariman had granted liberty to Congress MLA Fajur Rahim and K Meghachandra to approach it again if the Assembly Speaker fails to take a decision within four weeks on their plea seeking disqualification of the BJP minister.

The BJP minister had won the assembly election on a Congress ticket and later joined the BJP and became a minister. This led to filing of the plea seeking his disqualification.

The apex court said Parliament should rethink whether the Speaker should decide such disqualification pleas keeping in mind the fact that he also belongs to a particular political party.