Former Tamil Nadu Speaker PH Pandian dead

Chennai: Senior AIADMK leader and former Speaker of Tamil Nadu Assembly P.H. Pandian died here in a private hospital on Saturday morning owing to illness. Pandian, a lawyer by profession, had served as the Speaker of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from 1985 to 1989.

He was elected to the Tamil Nadu Assembly from his native Cheranmadevi in 1977, 1980 and 1984.

Pandian hit the news headlines in 1987 when he said the Speaker has 'sky high powers' in the case of jailing Tamil magazine Ananda Vikatan proprietor S.Balasubramanian for contempt of legislature over a cartoon published in the magazine.

Pandian refused to accept the summons issued by the Madras High Court saying he was the Speaker of the Assembly.