A group of journalists from regional and national news organisations met the Karnataka Assembly Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri after his decision to ban TV channels from videographing proceedings of the house.
In spite of the group expressing concern about the ban on videography in the Assembly, Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri refused to review the decision made on Wednesday for the ongoing winter session of the Karnataka Assembly.
Yasir Mushtaq, a journalist who was part of the meeting told TNM that the Speaker informed the group of journalists that the ban on videography is experimental and temporary.
"The Speaker informed us that this move is being implemented on an experimental basis and that this is not permanent. It will be implemented in the next three days after which the pros and cons of it will be weighed," Yasir said speaking to TNM.
Around 50 journalists from print, digital and television news organisations, including from both regional and national organisations, wrote to the Speaker asking him to review his decision. The journalists plan to hold a protest at the Gandhi Statue in Maurya Circle in Bengaluru on Friday at 9 am.
"We must remind you that the Karnataka Legislature has its independent history and for the past 25 years – from when video journalists were allowed inside the House to record its proceedings – we have tried our best to perform our duties towards the people of this state," reads the petition submitted to the Speaker.
Private television news channels have been allowed to cover proceedings inside the Karnataka Assembly since 1994 when Congress leader KR Ramesh Kumar was the Speaker.
"If you had any concerns, these should have been taken up with us so that we could have worked together to arrive at a consensus on the way forward. We feel this decision is contrary to the spirit and ethos of our democracy. Further, we also express our apprehension that this will act as a precedent for taking unilateral decisions,” the letter by the journalists added.
Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri will review the petition after the end of the Assembly session on Saturday. The ban on videography is set to remain in place until then.
In 2012, television news channels captured footage of the then Karnataka MLA and minister Laxman Savadi watching porn with the then Women and Child Development Minister CC Patil on the mobile handset of Krishna Palemar. The incident caused an uproar following which Laxman was forced to resign from his position as minister.
In the same year, the then Speaker KG Bopaiah placed a ban on private television channels recording and broadcasting live proceedings of the house until a committee to probe Laxman Savadi's behaviour submitted a report.
In 2014, after the Congress came to power, the then Speaker Kagodu Thimmappa had also proposed a ban on television cameras from broadcasting Assembly proceedings inside the house. The proposal was not followed up and it eventually fell through.