From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore

Bangalore, Mar 15: The Karnataka State Legislative Assembly’s Committee constituted to inquire into the charge of ruling BJP’s three former ministers, who had to quit their ministerial berths after being caught red-handed by the private TV chanels while watching porn or blue film clips on their mobile handsets inside the House last month, will be submitting its report to the Assembly Speaker K G Bopaiah on March 20.

The State Legislative Assembly panel, headed by BJP’s Shreeshailappa Bidarur, to inquire into the ''blue film” scandal involving former BJP ministers C C Patil, Laxman Savadi and Krishna Palemar, met on Thursday and held discussions with officials of the Law Department.

The Speaker, while constituting the panel, had set March 13 deadline for the committee to submit its findings on the porn watching by three MLAs. But the panel sought a week’s time to submit its report.

The budget session of the State legislature is set to commence from March 20 and the Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda is scheduled to present his government’s first budget for the year 2012-13 on March 21.

The panel has no powers to punish any legislators but can merely submit its reports with recommendations to the Speaker, Bidarur said.

Asked about a letter written to the Speaker by Press Council of India Chairman Markandey Katju on grilling of journalists, the panel chief said he was not aware of the matter.

Asked about summoning of Opposition MLAs for allegedly watching sleazy videos during the session, Bidarur said the panel has no jurisdiction to issue notice to other MLAs.

''We have to strictly go according to the terms of reference and cannot go in for a roving fishing expedition. It is upto the Speaker to decide and expand the terms of reference,” he explained.

CCTV footage showed several other MLAs also indulging in watching videos and clips on mobile phones on February 7. But it would be a deviation from the terms of reference to include other MLAs, he said.

The three former ministers - Krishna Palemar, Laxman Savadi and C C Patil - who were involved in porn scandal have already appeared before the panel and expressed their opinions besides submitting their written replies to the show cause notices issued by the Speaker.