CHANDURKAR, CJ. - (1.) This is an appeal by the petitioner whose petition under Art. 226 of the Constitution in which he had asked for a Writ of Mandamus forbearing the Speaker of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from proceeding any further with the Notice No. 45 dt. 1st July 1985 against the petitioner, has been dismissed by the learned single Judge.
(2.) The petitioner is the Editor of a Tamil monthly magazine 'Vaniga Ottrumai'. He had published an article in the Feb. 1983 issue of the said magazine criticising vehemently the members of the Legislature. The Privileges Committee of the Seventh Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly called upon the petitioner on 29-11-1983 to give an explanation for the said writing in the Feb.1983 issue of his magazine. The petitioner appeared before the Privileges Committee and owned full responsibility for what he had written in his magazine. On 28-3-1984, the Privileges Committee recommended that the petitioner should be punished by awarding a sentence of simple imprisonment for one week.
(3.) The petitioner had filed W.P. No.4301 of 1984, for quashing the said recommendation. That petition was however dismissed as premature. Before any final action was taken on the report of the Privileges Committee, the seventh Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly was dissolved on 15-11-1984. Elections to the State Legislative Assembly took place in Dec. 1984 and in due course the Eighth Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly was constituted.;