BENGALURU/HUBBALLI: Journalists Ravi Belagere and Anil Raj moved the Karnataka high court on Tuesday, challenging the June 21, 2017, resolution passed by the Karnataka legislative assembly, sentencing them to prison, as the government continued to drag its feet on their arrest, prompting speaker KB Koliwad to demand an action taken report.The petition was mentioned before Justice Ashok B Hinchigeri for an urgent hearing, and will be taken up on Thursday. The privileges committee of the legislative assembly sentenced the journalists to one year rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 each for breach of privilege of members of the house.Assembly secretary (incharge) S Murthy wrote to the additional chief secretary (home) Subash Chandra on Tuesday, asking him to personally appear before him and submit the action taken report at 3pm Wednesday.Murthy wrote: "With the Speaker seeking an action taken report on the directive of the house to arrest and impose a fine of Rs 10,000 each on the two journalists, I ask you to personally come to my chambers and submit the report."The letter comes in the backdrop of vociferous opposition from various quarters of society against the sentencing of the journalists.The Editors' Guild of India too issued a strongly worded release which asks the legislative assembly to take "corrective measures" and withdraw its pernicious resolution against the journalists. While the government itself hinted at it being a hasty decision, chief minister Siddaramaiah is yet to talk to the speaker to resolve the issue.Belagere was "punished" for an article published in his tabloid, Hi Bangalore, on September 11, 2014, against which Koliwad had complained, while Raj was held guilty for repeated contemptuous articles in his paper, Yelahanka Voice. The petitioners claimed that the resolution was illegal as they were not given an opportunity to explain their side of the story. The sentencing amounted to conviction even before trial, they said. Raj added that the authorities had rejected the unconditional apology he had tendered.

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