Supreme Court Gives Telangana Speaker Three Weeks
- Supreme Court order on Telangana Speaker and BRS defection cases
- Warning of contempt in BRS MLA disqualification pleas
Hyderabad: The Supreme Court has given Telangana Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar three weeks to decide on disqualification petitions against 10 BRS MLAs who defected to the Congress. The court issued a clear warning that it would initiate contempt proceedings if the matter is not concluded within the fixed time.
The order came on Friday during a hearing on petitions filed by the BRS. The party accused the Speaker of delaying action on the disqualification pleas for a long period. The apex court examined the progress made so far and expressed concern over the continued delay in deciding the sensitive cases.
A Bench comprising Justices Sanjay Karol and AG Masih heard arguments from both sides. Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for the Telangana Speaker, told the court that proceedings were underway. He sought more time and cited municipal elections and ongoing hearings as reasons for the delay. He also informed the Bench that decisions in some cases had already been delivered, while others were still under examination.
However, counsel for the petitioners Mohit Rao strongly opposed the request. He argued that the Speaker had conducted only a single hearing in certain cases. He also questioned the prolonged delay despite the court granting repeated opportunities earlier. According to the BRS counsel, the facts clearly showed inaction on the part of the Speaker.
During the hearing, the petitioners pointed out specific instances related to the BRS MLAs. They stated that one BRS MLA had contested the Lok Sabha elections on a Congress ticket. They also said that another BRS MLA campaigned for his daughter, who contested on a Congress ticket, and continues to accompany her.
Meanwhile, the Bench observed that sufficient time had already been granted in the matter. It stated that the case would be listed again after three weeks. The judges made it clear that a final and positive decision was expected from the Speaker within that period. The court warned, “Failing which, we will proceed with contempt,” and described the extension as a final opportunity.
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