Thiruvananthapuram | Keralam Assembly Speaker Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan on Tuesday ruled that displaying a fibre lathi in the House, even if broken, was improper under rules prohibiting members from bringing weapons into the legislature.
The ruling came a day after CPI(M) MLA V Joy displayed a black fibre baton with a broken handle in the House while seeking permission to move an adjournment motion during Zero Hour over recent clashes involving outfits affiliated with the ruling and opposition fronts and the subsequent police action.
Following the Speaker's direction, the Assembly's Watch and Ward personnel took possession of the baton on Monday. Radhakrishnan had said he would issue a formal ruling on the matter.
Taking up the issue during Tuesday's sitting, the Speaker referred to past instances in which members had displayed prohibited articles, including beer bottles and a packet of cannabis, during discussions in the House. The Assembly had strongly condemned such conduct on those occasions, he said.
Citing Shakdher and Kaul, a parliamentary reference work on the rules and functioning of legislatures, the Speaker said displaying or producing objects to create dramatic scenes inside the House was considered improper.
He also referred to earlier rulings prohibiting the exhibition of banned articles and explosives, including grenades, in the Assembly.
"Assembly rules clearly prohibit bringing weapons into the House or displaying them. When even walking sticks are not permitted except for health-related reasons, bringing and exhibiting objects such as a fibre lathi cannot be considered proper conduct," the Speaker said in his ruling.
When CPI(M) MLA K N Balagopal pointed out that a broken lathi could not be equated with beer bottles or a packet of cannabis, Radhakrishnan said members should bring only items permitted inside the House and refrain from actions that violated its rules.
