High court stays privilege proceedings against Jaya

The Madras high court on Friday stayed proceedings of the Privileges Committee of Tamil Nadu Assembly against All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam supremo and Leader of the Opposition Jayalalithaa on an issue raised by Local Administration Minister M K Stalin.

Justice K Suguna, while granting the interim stay, also ordered issue of notice, returnable by four weeks, to the secretary, State Legislative Assembly and chairman, Committee of Privileges and Stalin.

Stalin had raised the privilege issue on October 18 against Jayalalithaa for her allegation against him at a press meet on October 17, accusing him of plotting to kill her before the next Assembly elections.

Jayalalithaa contended that the issue was outside the purview of the functioning of a member in the Assembly and the Committee of Privileges had no jurisdiction to exercise its power.

Stating that like Stalin, she was also an legislator, Jayalalithaa submitted that expression of her view about a person outside the purview of the House only confined to an individual and could never be a privilege issue.

Stalin could not claim to be a person having complete immunity or privilege beyond the scope of Constitution nor could he claim that nothing could be stated against him, she added.