India, Feb. 25 -- The Supreme Court on Tuesday set aside Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) legislator Sunil Kumar Singh's expulsion from the Bihar legislative council, saying the punishment was "excessive" and "disproportionate" even as it underscored the necessity for lawmakers to exhibit restraint and maintain decorum in their conduct given their influential roles in a democracy.

Singh was expelled from the House in July 2024 over allegedly derogatory remarks against Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar during a heated exchange. A bench of justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh said the legislator's conduct was "abhorrent" and "unbecoming of a legislator" but the punishment was disproportionate and needed to be interfered with. It a...