Date:10/11/2003 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2003/11/10/stories/2003111006620100.htm

Southern States - Tamil Nadu

Action not scripted by CM: Speaker

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI Nov. 9. The Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker, K. Kalimuthu, today said the Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, had nothing to do with the Assembly's decision to send to jail five members of The Hindu and a Murasoli journalist for breach of privilege.

It was he who suo motu referred the publications for consideration of the Privileges Committee. The punishment imposed by the Assembly was solely on account of the breach of privilege and gross contempt of the House, committed by The Hindu through its editorial dated 25-4-2003 and by Murasoli for publishing the same on April 26, 2003.

The media's campaign against the Chief Minister was totally unwarranted. Mr. Kalimuthu said that in the ``attack'' by The Hindu on her functioning in the House, for which the Committee of Privileges recommended seven days simple imprisonment, Ms. Jayalalithaa graciously suggested that no punishment be imposed, which the House accepted.

In a four-page statement, the Speaker said amid all the media din in the wake of resolutions passed by the Assembly on the breach of privilege, a deliberate attempt was being made, by those who were sentenced to imprisonment, to mobilise support through political parties and other media sections to portray the breach of privilege and the Assembly's consequent action, as having been scripted by the Chief Minister.

The Privileges Committee, which included Opposition members, met on six occasions between May 5 and November 6. Both The Hindu and Murasoli were given adequate opportunity to file written submissions. Only then did the Committee give its recommendations. The Assembly considered the recommendations on November 7. On the Chief Minister's suggestion, the House dropped the punishment. Media reports indicating that these offences were the ones for which the punishment was imposed was totally incorrect, Mr. Kalimuthu said. On the issue relating to The Hindu's editorial dated 25-4-2003, he again suo motu referred the matter to the Privileges Committee, which concluded that the editorial affected the functioning of the House, constituted a breach of privilege and contempt of the House.