Saturday, December 24 2005 19:58 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Expelled Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs are considering moving the Delhi High Court against the decision claiming they have been denied natural justice and an opportunity to be heard.

"We are seeking opinion of legal and constitutional experts over the matter as our expulsion goes against the principles of natural justice," BJP MP from Rajnandgaon in Chhattisgarh Pradip Gandhi told reporters after meeting some of his colleagues at the residence of another 'tainted' BJP MP M K Anna Patil here.

Gandhi claimed that the Bansal Committee did not give them 'enough' time to respond to the charges levelled against them. BJP MPs Gandhi, C P Singh and Patil met here.

"1951 H G Mudgal case, cited by the Committee in its report, the accused MP was given 45 days notice to respond to the charges levelled against him," he said, adding that the entire process leading to his (Mudgal's) expulsion was about five months.

"We were expelled within just 11 days of levelling of charges. We did not get enough time to present our case properly before the committee," Gandhi said adding most BJP MPs held a similar view.

Meanwhile, BSP MP Rajaram Pal claimed that he had written letters to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee when undercover journalists had offered him money to raise questions in Parliament.

"I had also asked the Speaker to allow me to present by case before Parliament, but my requests were not heeded to," Pal claimed.