'Court has no say in MPs' expulsion'

The LS Speaker's statement has the potential to create confrontation.

In a development that has the potential to create confrontation between Legislature and Judiciary, the Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee is firm on his stand that the courts have no jurisdiction on expulsion of MPs from Parliament.

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"Our stand remains the same and the all-party meeting convened by the Speaker on the issue scheduled on January 20 stands", Speaker's office said on Tuesday.

The statement came a day after the Supreme Court decided to examine the powers of Lok Sabha to expel its members from the House and referred the issue to the constitution bench.

The Apex court, holding that important questions relating to Article 105 of the Constitution (powers and privileges of MPs) has been raised before it has issued notices to the Speaker, Centre and Election Commission of India to assist the court in adjudicating the matter.

Chatterjee, in an interview earlier this month, had made it clear that he would not respond to any judicial notices in the matter.

"I cannot stop anyone from going to court. But according to me, the courts have no jurisdiction at all in the matter. Any order is not not binding. I am not surrendering or submitting to the jurisdiction of the courts on this issue at all," he had said.

Chatterjee has held consultations with eminent lawyers who are fully backed his stance that the Parliament was fully competent to take action against its members and that court had no jurisdiction over it.