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Amrit Dhillon

Journalists and politicians have applauded a decision by India's Supreme Court to intervene after a state legislature ordered the arrest of six journalists.

The arrests were ordered on Friday by the Speaker of the state legislature in Chennai  after the publication of articles criticising Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayaram Jayalalitha.

Incensed at an editorial in The Hindu attacking the Jayalalitha government for 'scaling new heights of intolerance', Speaker K. Kalimuthu  ordered that the journalists  be imprisoned for a fortnight for breach of privilege.

Police then entered the office of The Hindu's editor-in-chief, N. Ram, and searched for five senior journalists before Mr Ram established that they had come without arrest warrants and asked them to leave.

The next day, Tamil Nadu police stopped and searched Mr Ram's car as he was travelling to Bangalore to attend the celebrations marking The Hindu's 125th anniversary. Having searched the car, they let him proceed.

Mr Kalimuthu  also ordered the arrest of S. Selvam,  editor of the main opposition Dravida Munnethra Kazhagam-run newspaper Murasoli,  for publishing a Tamil translation of The Hindu's editorial.

Mr Ram said he was 'delighted' with the court verdict banning  the arrests until the case was heard. 'I'd never had the slightest doubt that the judiciary would allow this attack on the freedom of the press,' he said.

Home Minister L.K. Advani, who had earlier expressed concern at the arrest order, also welcomed the decision as one that would 'strengthen democracy'.

For Ms Jayalalitha,  the Supreme Court's intervention is a blow, coming on top of a weekend of media ridicule  during which not a single columnist or politician defended her.

Congress party president and opposition leader Sonia Gandhi said that such high-handed action by the legislature was a threat to democracy.

Mr Kalimuthu  later argued that he had acted without Ms Jayalalitha's knowledge. Ms Jayalalitha  is a former movie star  who has a reputation for being intolerant and autocratic.

Dubbed the 'booty queen' by her critics, a police raid on her house in 1997 unearthed 10,000 saris, 350 pairs of shoes, 96 watches and nearly 30kg of gold jewellery.



Supreme Court halts Indian state's bid to arrest journalists