Quota debate: Speaker warning on headline

Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee today took strong objection to a headline carried in a newspaper over yesterday’s discussion in the House on relations between the judiciary and legislature. He described it as ‘‘deliberate misrepresentation’’ of what he had said on the subject.

The headline had read: ‘Mind your job, Speaker tells judiciary’. Chatterjee countered: ‘‘I once again, if necessary at all, express my highest respect for the judiciary…To try to make misrepresentation of what transpired in the House is nothing but a breach of privilege. Naturally, it will not be taken lightly in future. But I wish to say and I am sure the House will agree with me that nothing like that happened yesterday.’’

In Wednesday’s discussion, most speakers — including Pranab Mukherjee and the Speaker — underlined the need to avoid confrontation between the judiciary and legislature.