Hyderabad: The Supreme Court will pronounce its verdict today on a series of disqualification petitions filed against ten MLAs in Telangana who switched parties. The petitions demand that the Assembly Speaker be directed to decide the matter within a fixed timeframe.
The pleas were filed by Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), party working president K.T. Rama Rao, and MLAs Padi Kaushik Reddy, K.P. Vivekanand, G. Jagadish Reddy, Palla Rajeshwar Reddy, Chinta Prabhakar, and Kalvakuntla Sanjay. BJP Legislature Party leader Aleti Maheshwar Reddy also filed a separate petition seeking similar relief.
The matter has appeared before the Supreme Court nine times since the petitions were submitted on January 15 this year. A bench comprising Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice Augustine George Masih reserved its judgment on April 3 after hearing arguments from all sides.
Respondents include Telangana Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar and the ten MLAs accused of defection: P. Srinivas Reddy, Bandla Krishna Mohan Reddy, Kale Yadaiah, T. Prakash Goud, A. Gandhi, Gudem Mahipal Reddy, and M. Sanjay Kumar.
The petitioners allege that the Speaker has delayed action on their disqualification pleas, allowing the defected MLAs to retain their positions in violation of constitutional provisions.
