
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Finance Minister T M Thomas Isaac is likely to be let off by the Assembly Committee of Privileges and Ethics with a mere warning, feels K Muraleedharan, who had headed the panel when UDF was in power. As long as the C&AG report is not tabled before the assembly, the court also cannot directly intervene, but the petition filed by Congress MLA V D Satheesan before the chief secretary is crucial.
On Wednesday, Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan referred to the House committee the breach of privilege complaint lodged by Satheesan for disclosing the contents of the CAG report before tabling it in the assembly. Muraleedharan recalled that the last time the committee had taken action was against P C George, MLA, following his press meet in 2013 when he was the government chief whip in the previous UDF government.
He had made derogatory comments against CPM veteran K R Gowri and her husband the late T V Thomas which had antagonised the then Opposition. That was the first time the House committee was convened and it decided to censure the MLA. Muraleedharan told TNIE that in all likelihood, the current committee will be lenient towards Isaac. “The House committee will definitely censure Isaac as he had not shown caution when he decided to reveal the CAG’s finding,” said Muraleedharan.
However, Isaac’s trouble doesn’t end there as Satheesan has already given a petition to Chief Secretary Vishwas Mehta citing that the finance minister has acted against the Official Secrets Act, 1923. Satheesan cannot approach the court citing breach of privilege, but his petition highlights Isaac’s violation of the oath of office and the oath of privacy.
Satheesan told TNIE “Isaac has committed breach of privilege. I will see whether the chief secretary authorises a competent government officer to lodge a complaint against him. I will decide on the further course of action after that,” implying that a long legal battle is in store for the minister.
Isaac issue: Speaker defends decision
T’Puram: A day after Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan decided to refer the breach of privilege complaint against Finance Minister Thomas Isaac to the committee of privilege and ethics, he said on Thursday that it was unfortunate that his decision was misinterpreted and misconstrued. Though the decision was the first against a minister, he sought to downplay it as a natural and legal procedure. According to him, the decision was not a mechanical one as it involved questions of basic debatable issues and extraordinary circumstances. Hence, it would be better for the finance minister to explain the situation before the assembly panel.