Hyderabad: The Supreme Court has ordered the Telangana Legislative Assembly Speaker to decide within three months on disqualification petitions filed against defecting MLAs. The court held that indefinite delay in such matters is impermissible and imposed a strict deadline for action.
A bench headed by Chief Justice B.R. Gavai issued the ruling, dismissing a plea seeking the court’s direct intervention in disqualification. It also quashed a Telangana High Court division bench judgment. The bench urged Parliament to consider framing a law to address MLA defections.
The case concerns ten MLAs who won on BRS tickets in the November 2023 Assembly polls and later joined the ruling Congress. Those facing disqualification pleas are Danam Nagender, Tellam Venkat Rao, Kadiyam Srihari, Pocharam Srinivas Reddy, Arekapudi Gandhi, Kale Yadaiah, Bandla Krishna Mohan Reddy, Gudem Mahipal Reddy, Dr. Sanjay, and Prakash Goud. Petitions were filed by BRS MLAs KP Vivekanand Goud and Padi Kaushik Reddy, along with a writ filed by party working president K.T. Rama Rao.
The bench heard arguments over three days from counsel representing the Telangana government, the petitioning BRS legislators, and K.T. Rama Rao. On April 3, it reserved its verdict. Declaring that the issue spans two constitutional institutions, the court ordered the Speaker to deliver a decision by October 31.
