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HC refuses to stay orders on 3 defected BRS MLAs’ pleas on disqualification
The HC refused to stay the earlier ruling given by a single judge bench directing the state legislative assembly speaker to decide on the disqualification of BRS legislators who defected to the Congress
The Telangana high court on Thursday refused to stay the earlier ruling given by a single judge bench directing the state legislative assembly speaker to decide on the disqualification of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) legislators who defected to the Congress, people familiar with the matter said.
A division bench of the state high court comprising chief justice Alok Aradhe and judge J Srinivasa Rao refused to pass any interim orders on the petitions seeking disqualification of three BRS lawmakers – Danam Nagender, Kadiyam Srihari and Tellam Venkat Rao.
The bench was hearing a review petition filed by Telangana state assembly secretary general Dr Narasimha Charyulu, challenging the orders given by single judge Justice B Vijay Sen Reddy on September 9, asking the assembly authorities to decide on the petitions filed by the BRS and the Bharatiya Janata Party seeking disqualification of the three defected MLAs within a month.
While refusing to grant any stay on the single judge orders, the bench, however, said it would hear further arguments on October 24.
On September 9, Justice Vijay Sen Reddy gave four weeks’ time to state legislative assembly speaker G Prasad Kumar to decide on the petitions filed by the BRS leaders Padi Kaushik Reddy and K P Vivekananda and the BJP leader A Maheshwar Reddy, seeking disqualification of three BRS MLAs who had defected to the Congress early this year, under anti-defection law.
Justice Reddy directed the state assembly secretary to place to place the file pertaining to the disqualification petitions before the speaker immediately. He instructed the assembly speaker to decide on the pleas within four weeks.
While disposing of the petitions, the court indicated that the case would be re-opened suo moto if the speaker fails to decide within four weeks. This was challenged before the division bench by the state assembly secretary.
Nagender, Srihari and Venkat Rao were elected on the BRS ticket in the November 30 assembly elections in Telangana and subsequently, they defected to the Congress one after the other.
