The angry DMK had staged protests outside the Tamil Nadu assembly last week.
Highlights
- Madras High Court has refused to give any reprieve to DMK legislators
- The court, however, has issued notice to the Speaker
- All 80 members were suspended from Assembly for unruly behaviour
The 80 DMK legislators, who have been suspended for a week for alleged unruly behaviour by the assembly speaker, have failed to get reprieve from the Madras High Court. The court, however, issued notice to the Speaker and would hear the petition filed by MK Stalin on September 1.
DMK's MK Stalin had challenged the Speaker's ruling, issued after a huge ruckus in the house last Wednesday.
The Speaker had suspended 80 DMK legislators including Mr Stalin for unruly behaviour after they had started a noisy protest against the use of a derogatory word by an AIADMK legislator, mocking a statewide tour they took ahead of the elections earlier this year. The DMK had wanted the word to be expunged but the Speaker refused and the chaos ended with Mr Stalin being physically evicted by marshalls.
DMK legislators were also removed after they objected to remarks against their leader, MK Stalin.
The DMK alleges the suspension was a ploy to keep them out of the assembly during Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa's address today on the debate to modernize the state's police forces and combat crime.
Unprecedented security had been ordered for the 68-year-old Chief Minister's speech to prevent protests by the enraged opposition.
On Thursday and Friday, the legislators had held a protest on the assembly complex and the police filed an FIR against them for defying orders and provocation with intent to cause riot.
Mr Stalin, however, said, "Today we would not protest at the assembly, we will wait for the verdict".
The one-week ban ends on Wednesday.