Speaker has chosen to stay away from proceedings: HC on DMK

MLAs case Chennai, Sep 1 (PTI) The Madras High Court today saidTamil Nadu Assembly Speaker P Dhanapal has chosen to stay awayfrom the proceedings before the court challenging the en massesuspension of 79 DMK MLAs. "The first respondent (the Speaker) has chosen to stayaway from the proceedings," the First Bench comprising ChiefJustice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice R Mahadevan said in anorder on petitions filed by Leader of Opposition in theAssembly M K Stalin of DMK and another MLA. The bench directed the counsel who appeared on behalf ofthe Assembly Secretary, to file a counter-affidavit withinfour weeks and gave two weeks time to Stalin to file hisrejoinder to it. In the previous hearing, as there was none to take thenotice on behalf of the Speaker, the bench had allowed thecounsel for Stalin and the petitioner PTR Thiagarajan to servea private notice on him. It had declined to stay thesuspension. On August 17, a total of 79 MLAs of DMK were suspended fora week for disrupting the Assembly proceedings. The petitions have challenged their en masse suspensionand sought a direction declaring all proceedings and actionstaken as illegal, ultra vires and unconstitutional. PTI CORRVS APRSC