Chennai, Jan 4 (IANS): Senior AIADMK leader and former Speaker of Tamil Nadu Assembly P.H. Pandian died here in a private hospital on Saturday morning owing to illness.

Pandian, a lawyer by profession, had served as the Speaker of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from 1985 to 1989.

He was elected to the Tamil Nadu Assembly from his native Cheranmadevi in 1977, 1980 and 1984.

Pandian hit the news headlines in 1987 when he said the Speaker has 'sky high powers' in the case of jailing Tamil magazine Ananda Vikatan proprietor S.Balasubramanian for contempt of legislature over a cartoon published in the magazine.

Pandian refused to accept the summons issued by the Madras High Court saying he was the Speaker of the Assembly.

He was one of the two candidates who got elected in 1989 as part of late Janaki Ramachandran faction of AIADMK.

In 1999 Pandian was elected to the Lok Sabha from Tirunelveli constituency.

Pandian was one of the persons who had opposed Sasikala Natarajan after the death of AIADMK General Secretary J.Jayalalithaa.

He and his son Manoj Pandian had raised doubts about the cause of death of Jayalalithaa.

Condoling Pandian's death Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan said he was a strongly represented the South Tamil Nadu in the Tamil Nadu Assembly and in the Lok Sabha.

The Tamil Nadu Secretary of Communist Party of India (CPI) R.Mutharasan also condoled Pandian's death.

Speaking to reporters here AIADMK leader and Tamil Nadu Fisheries Minister D.Jayakumar said the death of Pandian is a big loss for the party.