Legislative Council Chairman Basavaraj S Horatti has said that the CID inquiry into BJP MLC CT Ravi’s alleged derogatory remarks against Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar might create friction between the legislature and the executive.
In a letter to Home Minister G Parameshwara dated January 10, Horatti said that as the Chairperson, he had the “sovereign power” inside the House and that his decision was final.
He said, “The chairperson, being a constitutional post, has the sovereign power over the parliamentary system and process, and the House has the power to punish its members for disorderly conduct or other abuses in the House while it is in session."
Horatti said that he had taken a decision after going through the Constitution, the rules of procedure and conduct of the Karnataka Legislative Council, the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, MN Kaul and SL Shakhder's Practice and Procedure of Parliament, and Subhash Kashyap's Parliamentary Procedures.
CT Ravi had allegedly used a derogatory word against Laxmi on the last day of the winter session of the legislature, December 19. She had filed a complaint with the Chairperson of the Council, Basavaraj Horatti, who said that the complaint was closed as the incident had occurred after the Council session had concluded and that the microphones were off.
Ravi was arrested later that night and was granted bail by the Karnataka High Court. He has since alleged that the arrest was a conspiracy to kill him.
The state government handed over the inquiry to the CID on December 24.