Porn scandal: Opposition boycotts Karnataka House panel meet

The Karnataka Assembly committee set up to probe the porn scandal involving three former ministers met for the first time here today amid boycott of the proceedings by opposition Congress and JDS.

All the four members of the ruling BJP were present, but the two representatives from Congress and another from JD(S) nominated to the panel by Speaker KG Bopaiah did not show up.

Panel chairman Srishailappa Bidarur told reporters that the meeting has been postponed to February 29.

He appealed to the Congress and JD(S) members to participate in the committee proceedings and offer their views.

The speaker has set March 13 deadline for the committee to submit its findings on the watching of alleged sleazy film on mobile by Laxman Savadi and CC Patil and Krishna Palemar during the assembly session on February 7. The trio had resigned as ministers a day after the incident.

The three disgraced MLAs have already furnished their replies to a show-cause notice served on them by the speaker.

Demanding the immediate disqualification of the three from the assembly, Congress and JDS have taken a view that there is no need for any probe into the 'misconduct' of the three as the act was caught on camera and telecast by regional TV channels.