As such no disqualification would attach to Somnath Chatterjee in his refusing to quit the Speaker’s post as per the demands made by his erstwhile colleagues in the Left parties.

Lastly, the fact that the Constitution itself specifies that even when the Parliament is dissolved the Speaker shall not vacate his office till immediately before the first meeting of the House of the People after the dissolution shows the kind of responsibilities that are heaped on the Speaker in not being bogged down by party affiliations — expectations fully met in the conduct of Somnath Chatterjee in recent days. This brings to mind an old Japanese saying that “the reputation of a thousand years may be determined by the conduct of one hour”.

The writer is an advocate in the Supreme Court rohitmammenalex@gmail.com