India, Feb. 26 -- There are at least three takeaways from the Supreme Court (SC) decision to set aside the expulsion of Sunil Kumar Singh, a Rashtriya Janata Dal representative, from the Bihar legislative council. One, that the expulsion was an "excessive" and "disproportionate" punishment; two, that legislative action of this kind must withstand judicial scrutiny; and three, that public representatives should be responsible in their conduct in public forums. In its order, the apex court also provided a framework to assess if the penalty is proportionate to the charge against the lawmaker.

Singh called Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar "palturam" (a colloquial term for a person who shifts political sides frequently) in February last year...