LS adjourns after uproar over Bhagwat Mann's video, Speaker assures action

July 22, 2016

New Delhi, Jul 22: Lok Sabha procedings were adjourned for about an hour this morning after members, mainly from the ruling NDA, created din over the issue of AAP member Bhagwant Mann's videography of Parliament House yesterday.

''Issue of Mann's video serious; and I understand that appropriate action must be taken, said LS speaker Sumitra Mahajan.

Members from other opposition parties including RJD and SP trooped into the Well holding placards seeking their "right" on reservation in jobs.

As soon as the House met for the day, NDA members raised the issue of Mann's videography of Parliament House complex, terming it as a security breach.

Kirit Somaiya (BJP) demanded his disqualification as an MP, while his party colleague R K Singh, a former Home Secretary, said the AAP member has put a question mark on the security of the sensitive complex. He demanded a breach of privilege motion be brought against Mann.

Mann was present in the House. As NDA members were raising the issue from their benches, RJD and SP members rushed to the Well holding placards 'arakshan ki haq-maari nahi chalegi' (Won't allow usupring of our right of reservation). They were apparently expressing their anguish over delay in passage of a bill on reservation in promotions.

Amid pandemonium, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan adjourned the House till noon.

In the nearly 12 minute video, Mann gives a running commentary as his vehicle crosses security barricades and enters Parliament. "I'll today show you something you would not have seen earlier," he says.

Mann then enters a room where questions to be taken up inside Parliament are being sorted and describes the process.

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‘Pay the worker before his sweat dries’: Madras High Court cites Prophet Muhammad’s teaching while ordering settlement of dues

News Network

December 21,2025

Invoking the teachings of Prophet Muhammad—“pay the worker before his sweat dries”—the Madras High Court has directed a municipal corporation to settle long-pending legal dues owed to a former counsel. The court observed that this principle reflects basic fairness and applies equally to labour and service-related disputes.

Justice G. R. Swaminathan made the observation while hearing a petition filed by advocate P. Thirumalai, who claimed that the Madurai City Municipal Corporation failed to pay him legal fees amounting to ₹13.05 lakh. Earlier, the High Court had asked the corporation to consider his representation. However, a later order rejected a major portion of his claim, prompting the present petition.

The court allowed Thirumalai to approach the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) and submit a list of cases in which he had appeared. It also directed the corporation to settle the verified fee bills within two months, without interest. The court noted that the petitioner had waited nearly 18 years before challenging the non-payment and that the corporation could not be fully blamed, as the fee bills were not submitted properly.

‘A Matter of Embarrassment’

Justice Swaminathan described it as a “matter of embarrassment” that the State has nearly a dozen Additional Advocate Generals. He observed that appointing too many law officers often leads to unnecessary allocation of work and frequent adjournments, as government counsel claim that senior officers are engaged elsewhere.

He expressed hope that such practices would end at least in the Madurai Bench of the High Court and added that Additional Advocate Generals should “turn a new leaf” from 2026 onwards.

‘Scandalously High Amounts’

While stating that the court cannot examine the exact fees paid to senior counsel or law officers, Justice Swaminathan stressed that good governance requires public funds to be used prudently. He expressed concern over the “scandalously high amounts” paid by government and quasi-government bodies to a few favoured law officers.

In contrast, the court noted that Thirumalai’s total claim was “a pittance” considering the large number of cases he had handled.

Background

Thirumalai served as the standing counsel for the Madurai City Municipal Corporation for more than 14 years, from 1992 to 2006. During this period, he represented the corporation in about 818 cases before the Madurai District Courts.

As the former counsel was unable to hire a clerk to obtain certified copies of judgments in all 818 cases, the court directed the District Legal Services Authority to collect the certified copies within two months. The court further ordered the corporation to bear the cost incurred by the DLSA and deduct that amount from the final settlement payable to the petitioner.

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