Amman  - The trial of prominent Jordanian columnist Khaled Mahadin who has been charged with "slandering" the lower house of Parliament got under way on Thursday, according to judicial sources.

The chamber's Permanent Bureau last week filed a lawsuit against Mahadin, accusing him of defaming the House of Representatives in a recent online newspaper article.

Mahadin, 63, denied the charge, saying that he had "only criticized the house's performance." The case was adjourned to March 30.

"It is part of my job as a voter to appraise the performance of elected MPs," Mahadin told the official Petra news agency.

The article published by Khabemi. com in February, under the headline "For God's Sake, Abdullah," urged Jordan's King Abdullah II to dissolve Parliament's lower house for its bad performance and what Mahadin said were "illegal privileges given to deputies."

Former chief of the Jordan Bar Association Saleh Armouti said that he was leading the 28-member legal team defending Mahadin. (dpa)