Assembly Speaker M. Appavu is of the opinion that the ‘zero hour’ of the Assembly sessions cannot be telecast live unless all party leaders give an assurance that only the subject concerned would be discussed on the floor of the House, the Madras High Court was informed on Wednesday.
Appearing before the first Division Bench of Chief Justice S.V. Gangapurwala and Justice P.D. Audikesavalu, Advocate-General R. Shunmugasundaram said, “The problem with the zero hour is that sometimes, tempers run high, and members may end up making unwarranted comments that could be expunged by the Speaker.”
The A-G also submitted an additional counter-affidavit filed by Assembly Secretary K. Srinivasan, who noted that the Speaker had said that the zero hour could not be telecast live, and that it required an assurance from all party leaders in the light of Rule 119 of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Rules.
