The Hindu : Opposition protests Assembly action

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Nov 08, 2003

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National

Opposition protests Assembly action

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI NOV. 7. The decision of the Tamil Nadu Assembly to jail the Editors and journalists of The Hindu and Murasoli followed an order to arrest the DMK member, Parithi Ilamvazhuthi, also on a charge of breach of privilege and for intimidating the AIADMK member, G. Kumaradoss, leading to protests from the Opposition.

Amid the continuing protests, the Speaker, K. Kalimuthu, announced the verdict of the Privileges Committee after the Leader of the House, C. Ponnaiyan, said the Committee had concluded that the Publisher, Editor, Executive Editor, Chief of Bureau and Special Correspondent of The Hindu had committed breach of privilege. He then moved a resolution, stating that the House sentenced them to 15 days' simple imprisonment for gross contempt and gross breach of privilege of the House as a whole.

The decision of the House pertained to an editorial published by the newspaper on April 25, 2003, which was based on an article and a news report. The editorial had attributed motives to the decision of the Speaker, the privileges committee and therefore, lowered the dignity of the entire House, the resolution said.

The Assembly had considered two resolutions against The Hindu, during its sitting on Friday evening, one on breach of privilege relating to the Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, and another of the House as a whole. Mr. Ponnaiyan moved a resolution, recommending seven days' simple imprisonment on the breach of privilege relating to the Chief Minister. Ms. Jayalalithaa rose to say that she did not want to pursue the matter relating to her and that it could be dropped.

The Leader of the House took up the second resolution, which stated that the editorial sought to justify the contents of the article and the news report. This constituted a "gross act of contempt of the House as a whole" and a "gross act of breach of privilege of the House as a whole". Therefore, the Editor, Executive Editor, Publisher, the article writer, V. Jayanth, and the Special Correspondent, Radha Venkatesan, were liable to be punished.

The resolution recommended that they be sentenced to 15 days' simple imprisonment for breach of privilege. The Assembly passes issued to the newspaper were also being suspended for 15 working days. The House met at 4.30 p.m. on the last day of its current session and took up the Bill, amending the Tamil Nadu Essential Services Maintenance Act.

At about 5.20 p.m., the Speaker announced that a matter of grave importance was to be taken up and no one should leave or enter the House. He called the Leader of the House to present the findings of the committee on a breach of privilege issue concerning Mr. Ilamvazhuthi, and the resolutions followed.

MLAs held

Police arrested 31 MLAs, including 24 legislators belonging to the DMK for resorting to a road blockade opposite the Assembly.

Cases were registered against the MLAs, including M.K. Stalin, under Section 151 IPC (causing disruption to traffic) at the Fort (B3) police station. They were released on bail at 7.30 p.m., police said. The arrested MLAs included those belonging to the PMK, DPI and Congress Jananayaga Peravai.

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