Legislators who brazenly use their cellphones inside the Assembly House will have their gadgets confiscated.
Assembly Speaker P. Dhanapal on Thursday issued a stern warning to members not to use their cellphones inside the House. Immediately after the Question Hour, a piqued Speaker said, “I heard cellphones ringing. It appears that some members are using their phones inside the House and they are not permitted to do so.”
The MLAs have been provided with cubicles in the lobby of the House for depositing their phones before participating in the Assembly proceedings. “Please utilise the cubicles. Your phones will be seized if they are used inside,” he warned.
The Tamil Nadu Assembly banned the use of cellphones inside the House in April this year after a DMK legislator T. R. B. Rajaa was suspended for videographing the Assembly proceedings on his mobile phone. There were also reports of three Karnataka ministers caught watching pornography on their phones in the Assembly.
Apart from ministers and legislators, the media persons who cover the Assembly proceedings also have been provided with ‘pigeon holes’ to keep their electronic devices in safe custody.