Lakshman-Rekha between Legislature, judiciary should be maintained at all times: HC

Chennai: The Madras High Court has observed that ‘Lakshman Rekha’ between the Legislature and the Judiciary should be maintained at all time.

Dismissing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by an advocae M Loganathan of Coimbatore seeking a direction to the Legislative Assembly Secretariat to treat the MLAs, who had contested on election symbols belonging to other political parties, as members of the latter parties and not as those belonging to their parent parties, the First Bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice P D Audikesavalu rejected the plea while noting that it was the prerogative of the Speaker to treat the MLAs in a particular manner inside the House.

Observing that the court could not interfere in such matters, they said the ‘Lakshman Rekha’ between the legislature and the judiciary must be maintained at all times.

The judges pointed out that the litigant had only complained of an anomaly in the manner in which the MLAs were being treated inside the House.

Since the petitioner had not complained about any illegality, the Judges said there was neither any scope for judicial interference nor any public interest involved in the matter.

In his plea, the petitioner contended that eight MLAs from different parties had contested under the DMK’s ‘Rising Sun’ symbol.

He said they should not be allotted separate seating arrangements or time slots to speak during the Assembly sessions and they must be treated only as ruling party members.