CHENNAI: The State Assembly Secretary and the Privileges Committee have moved the Madras High Court seeking to vacate the stay imposed by a single judge against the operation of fresh notices issued against 18 DMK MLAs, including MK Stalin, for bringing gutka packets into the Assembly in 2017.
The petition to vacate the stay has been moved a week after a division bench comprising the Chief Justice, refused to interfere in the single judge order. On September 24, Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana passed the interim order on a batch of pleas moved by the DMK MLAs challenging the notices dated September 7.
K Srinivasan, Secretary of Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, moved the plea to vacate the stay. According to the petitioners, the division bench, during the appeal, granted liberty to move a petition before the single judge to vacate the stay.
The petitioners stated that judicial review of such issues comes only after a final decision is taken by the committee and a suspension of the stay has to be granted. The entire inquiry is still pending against the DMK MLAs by the committee and no decision has been taken by it except for calling an explanation.
The division bench ordered by granting liberty for the Privileges Committee to initiate proceedings if it still feels that the act by the MLAs inside the House amounted to a breach of privilege.