SC ruling on powers of Speaker will change country's political scenario: Congress

New Delhi: The Congress on Tuesday welcomed the Supreme Court verdict on the powers of the Speaker of a House, saying it will change the political scenario of India.

In a path-breaking ruling, the apex court on Tuesday said Parliament should "rethink" whether the Speaker of a House should continue to have powers to disqualify lawmakers as such a functionary "belongs to a particular political party".

Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal said the Supreme Court judgement says that no Speaker can now delay deciding a matter and the delay cannot be more than three months as they have directed the Manipur Assembly Speaker to decide a matter pertaining to disqualification of a Congress MLA in three months.

He said the SC judgement says that Parliament must now frame a law to have an independent tribunal, take away the power from Speaker (on deciding disqualification petitions).

The Congress leader said the Congress bagged 28 seats in Manipur, the BJP got 21, but the saffron party aligned with NPP and took one Congress MLA and the next day of him being elected, he became a minister.

The Congress had then filed an application of disqualification against him but the Speaker did not take any action, after which a writ petition was filed, Sibal said.

"No Speaker can delay deciding a matter and the delay cannot be more than three months. Every disqualification application has to be decided within three months.

"If there are some peculiar circumstances which do not permit him to decide within three months, he must give reasons as to why he cannot decide within three months and they have directed the Manipur Speaker to decide the matter within three months and he says that judge said if he does not decide the matter, we are free to come back to Supreme Court for seeking appropriate directions," Sibal said.