CHENNAI: After a hiatus, the Madras High Court on Wednesday began to hear the pleas moved by 21 DMK MLAs, including M K Stalin, challenging the privilege motion moved against them for waving gutka packets in Tamil Nadu Assembly in the year 2017. The first bench of Chief Justice AP Sahi and Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy allotted three days — August 12, 13 and 14 — for hearing this case exclusively.
DMK senior counsel R Shanmugasundaram contended that Pollachi Jayaraman, the chairperson of the TN Assembly Privilege Committee, cannot continue to decide the breach of privilege issue. “The chairperson had initiated a suit for damages against Stalin in connection with the Pollachi sexual assault case,” argued the counsel.
This apart, DMK also claimed that, once it is the view of the House that the actions of 21 MLAs are in fact breach of privilege, then the same cannot be referred to the privilege committee but must be decided by the House then and there. The DMK also submitted that two of the 21 legislators, J Anbazhagan and KPP Samy, had passed away and that their petitions may be removed.
Referring to the challenge made against the show-cause notices issued by the privilege committee against the MLAs, the senior counsel said, the notices served under the Food Safety Act do not prohibit possession or exhibiting gutkha packets or its pictures. “This apart, the rules of practise of legislators prohibits bringing items like umbrellas and guns inside the House but not gutka packets,” he argued.
HC sets aside acquittal of granite baron
Madurai: The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court cancelled the acquittal of granite baron PR Palanisamy of PRP Granites, his son P Suresh Kumar and one Sahadevan in the illegal granite mining case filed against them in 2013. Setting aside an order passed by Melur magistrate court in March 2016, Justice B Pugalendhi further remitted the case back to special court.
Veda Nilayam: Plea to transfer case rejected
Chennai: The High Court refused to refer the plea moved by J Jayalalithaa’s legal heir J Deepak challenging the acquisition of his aunt’s Poes Garden residence to the division bench that declared them as legal heirs. The court adjourned the batch of pleas by a week after it was informed that J Deepa had filed a similar petition and it will be tagged along with these cases.