The Madras High Court today issued notice to the Chief Secretary and Commissioner of Chennai Corporation on a PIL, seeking a direction to them to pay commensurate salary to the Mayor and councillors.
The first bench, comprising Chief Justice R K Agrawal and Justice K Ravichandra Babu,issued notice on a PIL filed by one M Purushothaman.
The petitioner contended that almost all constitutional functionaries like the President, Governors, Prime Minister, Union and State Ministers, MP's, MLAs, Election Commissioners, Central Vigilance Commissioner,Comptroller and Auditor General and others receive salary, "whereas elected representatives of local bodies are conveniently not paid salary."
He submitted he has sent a representation to authorities on July 2 2013, for which he had received a reply that Sec 25A of Chennai City Municipal Corporation Act 1919 did not provide for salary to the Mayor and Corporation councillors.
Purushothaman also contended the section was colonial and inserted by way of amendment to the main act in 1936 and that the British masters at that time would have denied salary to Indian subjects for their own reasons.
He contended that the above section which denies salary to these elected representatives is clearly violative of Article 14 of the Constitution and ultra vires the constitution under article 13 of the constitution and prayed for a direction to the authorities to pay salaries.
