The editors of two tabloids on Tuesday moved the High Court of Karnataka, questioning the legality of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly’s resolution of imposing one-year prison sentence and ₹10,000 fine on them based on the recommendation of a Committee on Privileges for publishing “defamatory and false” articles against three MLAs.
Justice Ashok B. Hinchigeri, before whom the counsel for the petitioner-editors made a request for early hearing, said the petitions would be taken up for hearing on Thursday.
In their petitions, Ravi Belagere, editor of Hai Bangalore, and Anil Raj, editor and publisher of Yelahanka Voice, have contended that the Assembly’s resolution was an “abuse of process of law” as the legislature has “no powers or jurisdiction” to pass a resolution to convict and impose imprisonment.
Claiming that the Assembly and its committee have “encroached upon the powers of the court”, the petitioners have stated that the aggrieved MLAs, against whom the articles were published in the tabloids, had their remedy under the Indian Penal Code and not through the legislative process as the articles were outside the purview of the legislature.
Meanwhile, Mr. Belagere, who went “missing” from a private hospital in Dharwad on Monday morning, has got himself admitted to the Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences Hospital in Hubballi.
Shettar visits Belagere
Leader of the Opposition in Legislative Assembly Jagadish Shettar visited Mr. Belagere in the hospital. He told presspersons that Mr. Belagere’s name for recommendation of action was a last-minute inclusion following an MLA’s suggestion, and termed the “punishment” as oppression against the media.
