PRIVILEGE NOTICE TO 18 DMK MLAS VALID: HC

THE Madras High Court on Wednesday set aside a single judge's orders quashing the breach of privilege notices issued to 18 DMK MLAs of the previous Assembly, including Chief Minister MK Stalin, for bringing gutka sachets into the Assembly as part of a protest in 2017.

- R SIVAKUMAR

Passing the order on appeals filed by Assembly secretary and the then privileges committee against the single judge's ruling, a bench of Justices SM Subramaniam and C Kumarappan remitted the matter back to the speaker and the privileges committee for a final decision.

Negating the arguments of senior counsel NR Elango, representing the DMK MLAs, that the privilege proceedings pending in an Assembly die with the dissolution of the Assembly, the bench said the very purpose of privileges granted to MLAs would become 'meaningless' if that was the case.