Kolkata: "Even though I have full respect for the judiciary I, as Speaker of the Lok Sabha, am not going to submit before the Delhi High Court and have decided not to appear in any judicial proceeding connected with the [recent] expulsion of MPs from the Lok Sabha [for their alleged involvement in the cash-for-questions scam]," Somnath Chatterjee told The Hindu here on Tuesday.

"I have instead sought a meeting with leaders of different parties in the Lok Sabha in New Delhi on January 20 to discuss the situation arising from the judicial proceedings and to consult with them on what is to be done if the court feels it has the right to interfere [in the matter]," he said.

Though he had not yet seen them, Mr. Chatterjee said that he was told that the Delhi High Court had issued notices to the Lok Sabha secretariat after eight of the 11 MPs concerned submitted petitions challenging their expulsion from the Lok Sabha. The Delhi High Court has reportedly issued similar notices to the Rajya Sabha secretariat and the Election Commission.

The MPs, six from the Bharatiya Janata Party, three from the Bahujan Samaj Party, and one each from the Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal, were expelled from the two Houses of Parliament on December 23, 11 days after the cash for query videos were telecast by a television channel. Mr. Chatterjee will also raise the matter with the presiding officers of the different legislatures at a meeting on February 3.

"The matter is of great importance and I have already discussed it with leading lawyers of the country ... Only Parliament has supreme jurisdiction on the matter and it has exercised its right of decision [of expelling the MPs]," he said, adding "it [the decision of the House] is not a matter of judicial inquiry or interference."

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