Shillong, March 25 : Amid criticism from various quarters, including outgoing Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, Meghalaya Speaker Bindo Lanong today reiterated that no court would have any jurisdiction on the interim suspension or disqualification of the five legislators and their voting rights.
Chatterjee had yesterday said the Speaker could not suspend the legislators and was himself also not above the law.
Lanong told reporters today that he was only following the provisions of the Tenth Schedule and Articles 122 and 212 of the Constitution in temporarily disqualifying Independents Limison Sangma and Ismail Marak, KHNAM member Paul Lyngdoh, HSPDP member Adviser Pariong and NCP member Sanbor Shullai.
“The stay order of the Shillong bench of Gauhati High Court does not bind me and I will write to Union law minister Hansraj Bhardwaj that at present in Meghalaya there is a clear collision between judiciary and legislature.”
Lanong said he would accept the judicial review of his suspension of five legislators if Parliament amends Articles 122 and 212.
Defending Chatterjee’s statement that appeared in a section of the Press here today, Lyngdoh and Congress spokesman R.C. Laloo said at a separate news meet that Chatterjee’s observation had reinforced their contention that Lanong should be blamed for the current crisis.
Brushing aside their statements as personal observations, Lanong, quoting the proceedings of Parliament and the conferences of presiding officers of the country, said Chatterjee had often upheld the supreme role of Parliament and Assemblies during his speeches.
“I am not going to listen to anybody and no authority has the right to question my verdict which is under the purview of law,” he said.
On the high court order staying the disqualification of the two Independents, Lanong said he could issue contempt notices to any authority that questioned his verdict.