Date:14/08/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/08/14/stories/2007081450190100.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Attack on Taslima: court orders notices to 3 MLAs

Legal Correspondent

Petitioner seeks disqualification of the legislators

Hyderabad: A Division Bench of the Andhra Pradesh High Court on Monday ordered issuance of notices to the three MIM MLAs who attacked and abused Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen in Hyderabad last week in the presence of electronic media.

The MLAs, Mohd Afsar Khan Muqtada (Karwan), Mohd Moazzam Khan (Asifnagar) and Syed Ahmed Pasha Quadri (Charminar), targeted the author at the Press Club where she released a Telugu translation of her novel, “Shodh”.

The Bench also directed issuance of notices to Union of India, Government of Andhra Pradesh and Commissioner of Police in this regard.

The Bench expressed deep anguish at the state of affairs and did not mince words over the attitude of leaders who were supposed to be role models. Police too came in for severe comments.

The Bench was dealing with a writ petition filed by G.L. Narasimha Rao, advocate and writer from Hyderabad.

Unconstitutional

The petitioner complained to the court that the attack on the author is unconstitutional and against the ethos of the secular country that too when she is taking shelter here.

He sought disqualification of the three legislators from the State Legislative Assembly and a direction to the City Police Commissioner to register cases under the stringent provisions of the Indian Penal Code.

The Bench requested C.V. Mohan Reddy, Advocate General, D. Prakash Reddy, senior advocate and Jandhyala Ravi Shankar, standing counsel for the Secretary of the Legislative Assembly to assist the court.

It wanted that the issue of protection to citizens within the constitutional framework be elaborately explained and discussed in this case. The case is listed after 10 days.