Jailing journalists, Assembly secretariat to write to police

The Karnataka Legislative Assembly secretariat will ask the police to act on the House resolution, sentencing editors of two Kannada tabloids to a year in jail and a fine of Rs 10,000 each for breach of the privilege.
"We will be sending a communication to the police for further action, process regarding the same is underway," Assembly Secretary S Murthy told PTI, a day after the House took the rare and drastic step.
The assembly had yesterday adopted recommendations made by the privileges committee with a voice vote, sentencing the editor of 'Hai Bangalore' Ravi Belagere and 'Yelahanka Voice' editor Anil Raj to one-year imprisonment with a fine of Rs 10,000 for breach of privilege.

Asked about the next course of action, Speaker K B Koliwad said it would be executed as per law.
"It has been unanimously accepted by the House. The next procedure will be executed as per law. There are set proceduresand it will be followed," he said.
Koliwad as MLA along with B M Nagaraj in 2014 had petitioned the then Speaker Kagodu Thimmappa against the "defamatory article" against them in Belagere's tabloid 'Hai Bangalore,' who had referred it to privileges committee.
Meanwhile, in a separate instance, Yelahanka MLA had also approached the committee against articles published in Anil Raj's 'Yelahanka Voice.'

In both cases, the committee, after conducting its proceedings, concluded that the articles weredefamatory in nature and amounts to breach of privilege.