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Balayogi calls for speakers' meeting to discuss TN developments

Lok Sabha Speaker G M C Balayogi has agreed to convene a conference of speakers of state legislatures in the first week of April to discuss yesterday's Madras high court order releasing All India Anna DMK legislator Thamaraikkani on bail, after staying the Tamil Nadu assembly resolution sentencing him to 15 days' imprisonment.

This was disclosed by speaker P T R Palanivel Rajan to the house, after members, cutting across party-lines, expressed strong protests against the high court order stating that it amounted to transgression of sovereignty of the house.

Palanivel Rajan said he had spoken to Balayogi over telephone last night. "He has also accepted my suggestion that, if need be, the speakers together can approach the president and seek his intervention in the issue", he added.

Declaring that he did not expect the high court to give a verdict of a different kind on April 30, when the case is slated to come up for hearing again, the speaker said, "We in the house should be prepared to face any eventuality".

Earlier, an all-party meeting was held in the speaker's chamber on the issue.

Palanivel Rajan also informed the members in the house that he had reasons to believe that the high court verdict would not be very different from those given yesterday and day before, releasing Thamaraikkani on bail.

"The high court did not take note of the state advocate general's point that my first order to arrest him had been declared as lapsed by me and that Thamaraikkani was under detention under a house resolution", he added.

Palanivel Rajan also pointed out that the high court had sent a contempt notice to the jail authorities for not releasing Thamaraikkani immediately after its first order given on March 23 granting him bail. "This is contrary to the initial newspaper reports that the high court did not want to admit the contempt petition," he noted.

Earlier, Chief Minister M Karunanidhi said with the high court deciding to suspend the assembly resolution sentencing Thamaraikkani for breach of privilege and contempt of the house, the problem had assumed national significance. "The limits of the sovereignty of both the legislature and the judiciary would have to be discussed, the time has come for such a debate and Tamil Nadu is leading the way," he added.

Referring to the viewpoint of Dr K Krishnaswamy (Pudhiya Tamilagam) and C Gnanasekaran (TMC) that the house should have gone against the court directive releasing Thamaraikkani on bail, Karunanidhi said: "This is a matter of strategy and tactics. Avoiding a direct confrontation does not mean we are compromising the sovereignty of the house," he added.

He agreed with leader of the opposition S Balakrishnan's contention that the entire Thamaraikkani episode might be a prelude to the AIADMK leader J Jayalalitha's visit to Delhi to enable her to demand action against the state government.

Earlier, S Thirunavukkarasu (MGR-DMK), M A Latheef (Indian National League), P Subbaroyan (CPI) and S Avudaiyappan (DMK) said the courts had no jurisdiction to suspend the assembly resolution punishing Thamaraikkani for breach of privilege and contempt of the house.

UNI

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