Tamil Nadu Assembly records establish M.K. Stalin was a political prisoner under MISA during Emergency
Historical Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly records confirm that M.K. Stalin was detained as a political prisoner under MISA during the Emergency period. The records detail findings from the 1977 Justice Ismail Commission, which investigated allegations of abuse against detainees at Madras Central Prison.
Why it matters
This documentation provides historical verification of the political persecution faced by prominent DMK leaders during a critical period in Indian democratic history.
Historical records of debates on the Justice Ismail Commission Report that took place in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly as well as Legislative Council (since abolished) in 1978 reinforce that former Chief Minister and DMK president M.K. Stalin was indeed a political detenu under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) during the Emergency.
The Commission headed by then Madras High Court judge M.M. Ismail was set up during the President’s Rule in May 1977. The Commission was mandated to conduct an inquiry into the incidents of beating and ill-treatment alleged to have taken place in the Central Prison, Madras, during February 1976 to February 1977.
Records from the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly of speech made by M. Karunanidhi in 1978. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
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