Assembly explains why scribe barred

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Feb 23 : The Assembly has today clarified that Grace Jajo, a reporter (temporary) of The Aja daily was barred from entering the State Assembly and covering the Budget Session yesterday for her Facebook post which amounts to “breach of privilege and contempt of the House”.
On February 20, Grace Jajo had posted a link of “thefrontiermanipur.com” with the headline, “The Frontier Manipur offers explanation on breach of privilege and contempt of House notice.” In the post, she wrote “Drama from the Assembly”, said the Manipur Legislative Assembly Secretariat in a statement.
“Her act amounts to demeaning the process taken up by the Assembly Secretariat functioning according to the Rules of Procedure of Conduct of Business in Manipur Legislative Assembly. Taking serious note of her intentionally trying to malign the official procedure which amounts to breach of privilege and contempt of the House, the matter was referred to the Committee of Privileges and Ethics, Manipur Legislative Assembly.”
During the period pending a report from the committee, the Press Gallery Card issued to her was immediately revoked and she was not allowed to enter the premises of the Assembly. The Editor of The Aja daily was also informed on the same day, said the Assembly.
Further, as informed to the House by the leader of the House, a notice was also served to the news portal The Frontier Manipur in connection with the article concerned. The Editor of the news portal has given a clarification to the notice, it added.