Now Reading: Tamil Nadu Speaker Sends DMK MLA’s Remarks to Privileges Committee
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Tamil Nadu Speaker Sends DMK MLA’s Remarks to Privileges Committee
Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker J.C.D. Prabhakar has decided to refer Vilathikulam DMK MLA G.V. Markandayan’s remarks about Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay and the Assembly to the Privileges Committee. The committee has…
The Story in Brief
Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker J.C.D. Prabhakar has decided to refer Vilathikulam DMK MLA G.V. Markandayan’s remarks about Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay and the Assembly to the Privileges Committee. The committee has not yet been constituted, so the matter will be sent to it after its formation.
The decision followed a demand by ministers, who said the public meeting speech had demeaned the dignity of the House. Markandayan was arrested over the remarks and is out on bail. DMK leader E.V. Velu argued that reviewing the matter in the Assembly could amount to punishing him twice. The Speaker said the House could act when an outside statement affected its dignity. He also agreed to stop media reports on separate remarks concerning election funding until he decides whether they should be expunged from Assembly records.
The Indian Opinion
The claim that this is simply political revenge ignores the Assembly’s power to examine conduct affecting its dignity. But the argument that an existing police case settles every issue is also too broad. The Speaker should publish the exact remarks, explain the committee’s jurisdiction and allow the MLA a fair hearing. The key test will be whether the eventual proceedings distinguish a criminal allegation from a legislative privilege question, rather than treating them as the same case.
Source: thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
