NEW DELHI: Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee on Thursday ``requested'' Bharatiya Janata Party member Babubhai K. Katara, now in police custody in a human trafficking case, not to attend the House until party leaders decided on the further course of action.

On behalf of the Lok Sabha, Mr. Chatterjee condemned Mr. Katara's behaviour as soon as the House convened for the post-recess budget session.

Referring to his meeting with the leaders of various parties on Wednesday, the Speaker said it was unanimously agreed that ``the House should not only express its concern but also condemn the commission of the alleged offence by the member."

He added: ``The House is distressed and expresses its firm determination to take all necessary action so that its dignity is not tarnished.'' Considering the gravity of the situation, a meeting of the leaders was called to decide how such matters should be dealt with in the future so that ``the prestige of this great institution is upheld.''

It is learnt the Speaker is keen on holding the meeting at the earliest.

`Adopt uniform standard'

Outside the House, BJP leader V.K. Malhotra said his party concurred with the views of the House on this matter but would like Parliament to adopt a standard that would apply equally to all.

The MPs involved in the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha bribery case should also have been disqualified despite their acquittal later by court. Congress spokesman Abhishek Singhvi dwelt on yet another grievous wrongdoing, involving the BJP governments in Gujarat and Rajasthan, in an alleged fake encounter. The ``shocking facts" were that Sohrabuddin Sheikh and his wife Kausar were forcibly taken off a bus, taken to a farmhouse and then murdered. The woman's body was not found to this day. Mr. Singhvi said the encounter was a ``fig leaf'' for glorifying Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for, the police declared that the slain man had plans to assassinate him.

Only under Supreme Court monitoring and guidance did the facts come out, not to speak of the attempts being made to hamper the investigations, Mr. Singhvi said. In the public view, the Gujarat Home Minister was guilty of directing the police to kill a man, and he should resign forthwith.

"We cannot expect Chief Minister Narendra Modi to resign." For, he was "not sensitive to criticism."

With the finger pointed at the Gujarat and Rajasthan police, handing over the case to the CBI was the only way out for a fair probe, he said.

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