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‘Expedite decisions on disqualification pleas’
The Supreme Court criticized Telangana's Speaker for delaying disqualification decisions on rebel BRS MLAs, granting two weeks for compliance.
The Supreme Court on Friday took exception to the delay by the Telangana Speaker to decide on the disqualification pleas against three out of the 10 rebel Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) legislators and posted the matter after two weeks to report compliance.
A bench of justices Sanjay Karol and AG Masih said, “We are giving you two weeks. Finish it by then. After two weeks, we will fix the matter to see the progress made in the matter.”
The court was hearing a bunch of petitions by BRS leaders, including a contempt petition filed by KTR Rao, the working president of BRS and a Telangana Assembly legislator, who alleged that the Speaker was in contempt for violating the three-month deadline for deciding on the disqualification pleas set by the top court’s July 31 order last year.
Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi appearing for the Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar told the bench that there were certain intervening events that have taken place and the Speaker requires at least four weeks to comply with the court’s judgment.
He pointed out that the Speaker was admitted in hospital for an eye surgery from January 8 to 10 and a new secretary of the Assembly took charge on December 26. “We have already disposed seven disqualification petitions,” Singhvi said pointing to the decisions by the Speaker in rejecting the disqualification pleas against seven rebel BRS MLAs who defected to the Congress following the assembly elections held in 2023.
He submitted a chart to the court showing that on December 17, petitions against five MLAs were closed followed by decisions against 2 others on January 15. These MLAs include Kale Yadaiah, Pocharam Srinivas Reddy, Tellam Venkat Rao, Bandla Krishna Mohan Reddy, T Prakash Goud, Gudem Mahipal Reddy, and Arekapudi Gandhi.
The petition against M Sanjay Kumar has been reserved for judgment by the Speaker while the petitions against Kadiyam Srihari and Danam Nagendar have been scheduled for enquiry, the chart suggested.
Singhvi said that two weeks will be insufficient to take a decision as the process requires granting adequate time for filing response and counter submissions. Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi appearing for the secretary of the Assembly raised similar concerns.
The court said in its order, “We will post the matter after two weeks. Let an affidavit be placed on record by the next date on the steps taken pursuant to this order.”
Senior advocate Dama Sesadari Naidu representing BRS leaders vehemently opposed the request for further time. Naidu said, “This involves the dignity and prestige of this court which has ordered them to complete this exercise in a time-bound manner which they have already violated.”
The July 2025 judgment was rendered on an appeal filed by the BRS leaders challenging a November 2024 order of the Telangana high court that set aside the direction to the Speaker to decide on the disqualification petitions against the first batch of three BRS MLAs who joined the ruling Congress party in March 2024.
The appeal was filed by Padi Kaushik Reddy and Kuna Pandu Vivekanand, who are MLAs belonging to BRS. They sought action against the rebel MLAs under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution and the corresponding rules of the Members of Telangana Legislative Assembly (Disqualification on ground of Defection) Rules, 1986.
Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president K T Rama Rao on Friday accused the Congress government of making a mockery of the Constitution by shielding the defected MLAs, despite getting reprimand from the Supreme Court.
Taking to X, KTR alleged that the assembly speaker’s office, which is constitutionally mandated to act against defectors, had been “corrupted under political pressure.”
He said the Congress had once again exposed its “moral bankruptcy,” and alleged that “undemocratic forces” were trampling upon constitutional values yet again. “Even when there are witnesses for the shifting of loyalties by the MLAs, the claim made by the speaker’s office that there is no evidence of defection is nothing but an insult to the sanctity of the assembly,” KTR remarked.
He further accused the Congress of having no respect not only for the Constitution but even for the highest courts of the country. “The ruling party is not ashamed despite getting reprimand from the Supreme Court,” he said.
The Congress and the speaker’s office did not react to the Supreme Court’s directive.
