Vaiko, Swamy slam CM, Minister for judiciary remarks

Chennai, Feb 5: MDMK General Secretary Vaiko and Janata Party President Subramanian Swamy today criticised Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi and his Cabinet Colleague Arcot N Veerasamy for their critical remarks about the judiciary and demanded an apology from them.

In a statement here, Mr Vaiko said Mr Karunanidhi and Mr Veerasamy were intimidating the judiciary, which was the protector of the rule of law in the country.

Describing it as a very dangerous trend, he alleged that intimidating the judiciary was an attempt to black out the government's misdeeds.

He demanded an apology from both the leaders for their remarks.

Dr Swamy in a statement here, threatened to move the court if Mr Karunanidhi and Mr Veerasamy did not apologise and withdrew their remarks against the Judiciary.

For calling the Madras High Court as ''Katta Panchayat'' (Kangaroo Court), Mr Karunanidhi and Mr Veerasamy should apologise failing which he ( Dr Swamy) would move the Madras High Court seeking to take suo-motu cognisance of a criminal contempt of court.

'If Mr Karunanidhi fails to apologise and withdraw his statement, the Centre must invoke Article 356 of the Constitution and dismiss the DMK Government,'' Dr Swamy demanded.

At a marriage function presided over by the Chief Minister, Mr Veerasamy had yesterday said the Judges have to function within their limits and that they were not superior to democratically-elected government.

Judges are behaving as if they jumped from the sky. They have no legal authority to criticise a democratically-elected Chief Minister.

He had also said that courts should not become Katta panchayats.

Mr Veerasamy said though no motives could be attributed to judges, their verdicts were open for criticisms.

Endorsing his views, Mr Karunanidhi, who spoke later, said Mr Veerasamy had finally ''belled the cat.''

UNI