'Highly excessive': SC quashes RJD MLC Sunil Kumar Singh’s expulsion for comments on Nitish Kumar

TOI News Desk / TIMESOFINDIA.COM / Updated: Feb 25, 2025, 13:09 IST

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The Supreme Court has overturned the Bihar legislative council’s decision to expel RJD MLC Sunil Kumar Singh, deeming the punishment disproportionate. Singh was accused of making offensive remarks towards Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, resulting in his expulsion during the Budget session.

'Highly excessive': SC quashes RJD MLC Sunil Kumar Singh’s expulsion for comments on Nitish Kumar

NEW DELHI: Supreme Court on Tuesday quashed the Bihar legislative council's decision to expel RJD MLC Sunil Kumar Singh, calling the punishment "highly excessive" and "disproportionate."
The expulsion came after Singh's comments last year on Bihar CM Nitish Kumar repeatedly switching political alliances. The court's ruling overturned the Election Commission's notification for a bypoll to fill the seat held by Singh in the Bihar Legislative Council.
In February, during the Budget session, Singh’s conduct in the House was labelled as "abhorrent" and "unbecoming" by the Ethics Committee of the Bihar Legislative Council. Singh had used derogatory language towards Nitish Kumar, prompting a complaint from MLC Bhishma Sahni.
The committee's report recommended his expulsion, saying that Singh, as the chief whip of the opposition, had failed to uphold the dignity of the council.

Singh was accused of mimicking chief minister Nitish Kumar during the budget session.
He was charged with sloganeering against chief minister Nitish Kumar, leading to his expulsion after a motion passed by voice vote.
While the Ethics Committee's recommendation was approved by the council, opposition leader Rabri Devi condemned the decision, calling it "dictatorial" and warning that it set a dangerous precedent. She accused the BJP-JDU alliance of trying to suppress dissent. RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav also criticised the expulsion, describing it as an act of dictatorship, and promised that the people would respond accordingly in the next elections.
At the last hearing, the apex court had noted that legislators have forgotten how to express dissent or criticise opponents respectfully. This remark came from a bench of Justices Surya Kant and N K Singh, as they heard Sunil Kumar's petition challenging his expulsion from the Bihar Legislative Council for alleged misconduct.

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