Editors Ravi Belagere and Anil Raj appear before Speaker at his office in Vidhana Soudha They filed a plea to reconsider the House order to imprison them for a year They will not be arrested until the House reconsiders their plea
Editors of two tabloids - Ravi Belagere and Anil Raj - appeared before Speaker KB Koliwad as per the High Court direction on Monday and submitted their petition to re-examine the House order of their arrest.
Flanked by his daughter, Ravi Belagere, who was looking feeble, appeared before Speaker KB Koliwad along with Anil Raj at the Speaker's office in Vidhana Soudha. Their counsel, Shankarappa told reporters said that his clients were facing arrest for breach of privilege. However, on Saturday, the High Court had informed the Editors that they had to personally appear before the Speaker and file plea to reconsider the Assembly's resolution of their arrest.
"So, until the Speaker re-examines their plea, the journalists cannot be arrested," editors' counsel Shankarappa told reporters. "We have argued when the House could punish the journalists and why this case does not come under the jurisdiction of the House," reports One India, quoting Shankarappa.
Speaker Koliwad said that he will look into the plea submitted by the journalists. "The resolution (of their arrest) was taken by the House and I as the Speaker had passed it. However, the House will decide the final course of action as per the law," Speaker told reporters.
Ravi Belagere of Hi Bangalore and Anil Raj of Yelahanka Voice are facing imprisonment for breach of privilege. The House had taken objection to the articles published by these editors (on Speaker and legislators) as defamatory and held that the articles caused damage to their image.
As their arrest was impending, Ravi Belagere had admitted himself to hospital in Dharwad and then in Hubli, while there was no news of Anil Raj. Police too were in confusion whether to carry out the Speaker's order when there was no FIR filed against the journalists. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had asked the police not to arrest the journalists. This had stirred a debate on who had the power - legislature or executive.
Amidst this, their counsel Shankarappa approached High Court which directed the editors to file a plea to re-consider the House's order and assured that they would not be arrested till they filed the plea to reconsider the order.
