In what appears to be a first in the history of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, the newly elected Speaker - John Christian Devaram Prabhakar(JCD Prabhakar) opened proceedings by quoting directly from the Christian Bible from the constitutional Chair itself.
The Speaker: Bible Verses From the Chair
John Christian Devavaram Prabhakar, whose full name is itself a declaration of faith, was unanimously elected as Speaker of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly on 12 May 2026, with Chief Minister Joseph Vijay himself proposing his name. He is a devout Christian and an active lay evangelist who has spent over two decades running a personal Bible distribution ministry across Tamil Nadu, beginning in 2004 with 50 Bibles distributed on Chennai buses and beaches, a mission that grew to 5,000 Bibles a month – this is per his own admission.
On taking the Chair, Speaker Prabhakar addressed the House and quoted three passages directly from the Bible.
