Bangalore: 'Blue' Boys Asked to Give their Replies by Feb 16
From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore
Bangalore, Feb 15: Karnataka Legislative Assembly Speaker K G Bopaiah set February 16 as the deadline for three former ministers and ruling BJP MLAs – Krishna Palemar, Laxman Savadi and C C Patil – to give their replies for show-cause notice issued to them for watching porn on cellphone during the recently concluded Assembly session.
Speaking to reporters, the Speaker said the three former ministers have been instructed to give their replies before Thursday evening.
Earlier, he had set February 13 as the deadline for giving replies by MLAs.
But the three MLAs sought a week’s time to reply to show-cause notices issued to them by the Speaker. But the Speaker rejected their pleas and extended the period for three more days.
''If they (three MLAs) fail to give replies tomorrow, the law will take its own course of action,” the Speaker said.
He said a seven member House panel to conduct an inquiry into the issue would be constituted after three MLAs reply to show-cause notices.
The panel is expected to submit its report to the Speaker before March 12.
The report would be tabled in the Legislative Assembly and the House would take a suitable decision.
Asked whether his permission was needed to file a FIR against three legislators by the Vidhana Soudha police, the Speaker said there was no need for the police to obtain his permission to file FIR.
''If the third party feels that an offence has taken place, it is left to police to file FIR,” he said.
Acting on a private complaint filed by an advocate, the 8th Additional City Metropolitan Magistrate Court on Monday directed the Vidhana Soudha police to investigate into porn scandal. The court asked the police to submit its findings by February 27.
''No Move to Ban Live Proceedings by Private TV Channels, for the time being”
The Speaker said there was no move to ban live telecast of proceedings of the State legislature by private channels as of now.
However, he said a House panel had recommended live telecast of proceedings of both houses based on the procedure adopted by the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha where live telecast by private channels has been banned.
The State Legislature panel had estimated that Rs 25 crore would be needed to set up a new system for telecast of house proceedings.
''The State Government has to allocate money to set up a State-owned channel for coverage of State Legislature proceedings on the lines of the system prevailed in parliament.
The issue was being discussed now after private channels aired footages of three ministers watching porn on cellphone in the Assembly, last week, he said.
Private channels would be allowed to cover the proceedings of both houses during the next budget session of the State legislature, he said.
Meanwhile, Congress Opposition leader Siddaramaiah, while speaking to reporters, said the Congress party will not recommend names of its members for an inquiry committee to probe the porn watching scandal involving three former BJP ministers.
Siddaramaiah charged the ruling BJP government of attempting to bury the issue by resorting to the gimmick of constituting an house panel to probe the scandal.
''The ruling BJP government intended to bury the issue. There is no need for an inquiry into the matter as the ministers have already admitted to watching the porn clippings,” he said on the sidelines of a function organised by the Ganiga community here.
However, the Speaker claimed that Congress and JD(S) have agreed to be part of the House panel that would probe into prone scandal involving three BJP MLAs – Laxman Savadi, C C Patil and Krishna Palemar.
''What is there to investigate when all the news channels captured the images of three former ministers watching porn during Assembly proceedings,” Siddaramaiah asked.
The disqualification of the trio from holding Assembly membership as their act is a non-bailable offence under the IPC must have been done immediately, he said.
''The Speaker should suspend them immediately and book a criminal case against them,” he demanded.
On the issue of the appointment of Lokayukta, the Congress leader said he has not received any letter from Chief Minister D V Sadananada Gowda.
The Government yesterday began a consultation process to select a figure to head the anti-corruption watchdog, with Gowda saying he would write in this regard to the opposition leaders in the Legislative Assembly and Council, presiding officers of the two Houses and Karnataka Chief Justice.
The Lokayukta post has been lying vacant in the State for about five months.