Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Standoff

This refers to the editorial "Avoiding a constitutional standoff" (Jan. 23). Speaker Somnath Chatterjee's decision not to respond to the Supreme Court's notice on the MPs' expulsion case should not be viewed as confrontation with the judiciary. It only underlines Parliament's right to deal with erring members, to restore its dignity. At the same time, the people expect the two institutions to function in harmony and in a spirit of understanding and accommodation.

J. Akshobhya,
Mysore

The decision of the all-party conference that Mr. Chatterjee need not respond to the notice is unfortunate. As pointed out by Soli J. Sorabjee, former Attorney General, the Speaker should have accepted it as the Court only followed the legal dictum audi alteram partem (hear the other side).

I.V. Prabhakara Rao,
Hyderabad

The legislature is overreacting. Accepting a legal notice can in no way lower the prestige and dignity of the House. The Supreme Court has not acted suo motu, but only responded to a petition filed by an expelled MP. Expulsion of MPs is an unprecedented action, unimagined by the framers of the Constitution. The Court cannot be expected to dismiss the petition, considering the substantive question of law associated with the case.

V.N. Mukundarajan,
Thiruvananthapuram

Sting operations are legal issues to be settled by jurists. No court can render justice without hearing both the sides. The political clan wants the court to dismiss the petition. Such an attitude is confrontationist.

Koushiki Ramakrishnan,
Chennai

Mr. Chatterjee's action has weakened a pillar of our democracy. He should have accepted the notice and faced the apex court to convey his stand more effectively. He has missed an opportunity to prove his statesmanship.

P. Jawahar,
New Delhi

Accepting the notice would have enhanced the Speaker's stature and that of the august House he represents. An able leader with sound legal knowledge, he could have explained the constitutional position on the issue.

Dantu Surya Rao,
Kakinada, A.P.

If the Speaker submits his views with regard to the ambit and scope of various constitutional provisions under consideration, it will be of valuable assistance to the court. The decision to expel 11 MPs may be for the salutary purpose of upholding the dignity of Parliament. But what is the guarantee that the power will not be misused in future? The Supreme Court may uphold the expulsion but it would be manifestly unfair to deny the expelled members a right to judicial recourse.

Srihari R. Avuthu,
Secunderabad

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