Hyderabad, Sept.9 (NSS): The Telangana High Court on Monday issued a significant directive instructing the Legislative Assembly Secretary to fix a schedule for the Speaker to hear and dispose the disqualification applications of BRS MLAs who defected to the Congress.
The High Court also asked the Assembly Secretary to file a status report on the same within four weeks, failing which the Court would suo moto reopen the case.
Hearing a case filed by BRS MLAs Padi Kaushik Reddy and Vivekananda Goud, who sought disqualification proceedings against certain MLAs who had defected from the BRS party, the Court observed that since the time of filing the writ plea in the month of April, no information was given to the court about the disqualification applications till August. As such, the petitioners were entitled for relief.
The petitioners specifically requested the disqualification of BRS MLAs Danam Nagender, Kadiyam Srihari, and Tellam Venkata Rao, who switched their loyalty to the Congress party.
In addition to this petition, BJP legislative leader Maheshwar Reddy also filed a separate petition seeking disqualification of BRS MLA Danam Nagender.
After reviewing the cases, the High Court delivered a crucial verdict and further warned that if no action is taken within this timeframe, it would initiate suo motu proceedings to address the matter.
During the court proceedings, extensive arguments were presented with the petitioners emphasizing that the Speaker had disregarded previous directions issued by the Supreme Court. After considering both sides, the High Court concluded that a decision must be reached by the Speaker within the next four weeks.
Commenting on the court’s ruling, Gandra Mohan Rao, the legal representative for the BRS party, praised the judgment. He highlighted that the court’s decision is a positive step towards addressing the defection of the three MLAs who had moved from the BRS to the Congress party.
Gandra Mohan Rao reiterated that if the Speaker fails to act within the stipulated time, the High Court will take up the case on its own initiative. Furthermore, he warned that if the Speaker continues to delay the decision, they would file a contempt of court petition.
Mohan Rao also mentioned that the BRS party would push for action not only against the three MLAs in question, but also against other defecting legislators as well.
