Kerala House panel wants CIC summoned

The stand-off pertains to a petition from advocate D B Binu,seeking copies of the transcript and the video tape of an Assembly speech made by T M Jacob in 2005 against the then chief minister and Congress leader Oommen Chandy. Jacob,then a legislator with the pro-Left regional party formed by K Karunakaran,was speaking in support of the non-confidence motion by the opposition Left. In his speech,Jacob had raised a serious corruption charge against Chandy.

Although the Assembly information officer handed over the printed copy of Jacobs speech,access to the video tape was denied. After an appeal by the applicant,the State Information Commission ordered the Assembly information officer to hand over the copy of the video tape and pay a fine of Rs 250 for every day until its directive was implemented.

Kerala Assembly Speaker K Radhakrishnan,a Communist Party of India (Marxist) nominee,took up the action of the CIC as an infringement on the privileges of the Assembly and referred the matter to the privileges committee.

Privileges committee chairman V J Thankappan (of the CPM) told The Indian Express that the Speaker was the custodian of the video tape and transcripts of the speeches made by the legislators and that the Speaker is not bound to even answer whether a tape existed or was removed from the records. 

Thankappan said the CIC had shown disrespect to the Legislative Assembly by asking its information officer to pay the fine.

State CIC Palat Mohandas said,I respect the House and its Speaker. But as the CIC,I am duty bound to implement the RTI Act passed by Parliament.