This refers to the article, “Gross injustice: The Assembly must rethink” (July 4) by A Surya Prakash. The Constitution of India has provided special rights, or unique advantages to the legislature and the judiciary to cushion them from extraneous pulls and pressures so as to enable these exalted institutions to act independently without fear or favour. The punishment accorded to two journalists in Karnataka is a pointer to the legislature trying to assert its supremacy by undermining the freedom of citizens exercising their free speech. One article was published well before one of the complainants KB Koliwad became the Speaker. Moreover, Koliwad was himself the chairman of the privileges committee which recommended imprisonment to the two scribes. That means Speaker Koliwad acted as a complainant and also assumed the role of a judge.
This despite the current privileges not favouring punishment to one scribe, the popular Ravi Belagere. The defamed legislators were in no way prevented from discharging their duties inside the House. Several past court decisions have held that the legislature could not supersede the Constitution. Aggrieved MlAs had avenues like courts to “punish” the journalists instead of taking the easy way out. Also, sans proper codification of laws and rules governing such matters, it would have been prudent for the assembly to allow the court to take over. Now that the Speaker has assured to “look into” the review petition filed by the scribes following the High Court order, better sense should prevail upon the Assembly.