By Gopal Ethiraj, Chennai
CHENNAI, 07 August (asiantribune.com): A Division Bench of the Madras High Court on Thursday ordered the government pleader to get details of benefits accorded to MLAs in Tamil Nadu.
A direction to this effect was given by the first bench comprising Chief Justice H.L. Gokhale and Justice D Murugesan on a public interest writ petition filed by social activist Traffic K R Ramaswamy. The bench has posted the matter to August 10 for further hearing.
The petitioner submitted that the Finance Minister had announced a hike in the salary of MLAs. He said legislators were expected to serve the people. In the distant past only an honorarium was paid to MLAs when they attended Assembly sessions. There was no fixed monthly salary.
The hike in salary was unwarranted, more so because the tenure of an MLA is only five years, unless they are re-elected, the social activist had said in his petition.
The petitioner said that at present the legislators were already entitled to a flat. It was not necessary to allot free land or land at a concessional price in the city, which was already facing acute shortage of space. When several hut dwellers were not able to get accommodation, it was not fair to give additional accommodation to MLAs, most of whom owned houses in their constituencies or in the city.
He had sent a fax message to the authorities, the Finance Minister and the Chief Minister to reconsider the decision.
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