The Supreme Court on Thursday reserved its decision on a series of pleas concerning the alleged delay by the Speaker of the Telangana Assembly in addressing disqualification petitions against several MLAs who reportedly defected to the Congress from the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS). The bench, comprising Justices B R Gavai and Augustine George Masih, concluded the hearing after listening to arguments from all involved parties.
The legal contention revolves around two primary petitions: the first challenges a November 2024 Telangana High Court order related to the disqualification of three BRS MLAs, while the second concerns an additional seven legislators implicated in the defection. The matter initially reached the high court, which mandated that the Assembly speaker should resolve the disqualification petitions within a “reasonable time.”
This directive followed a September 9, 2024, decision by a single judge, who had ordered the Assembly’s secretary to ensure that the disqualification petitions were presented to the speaker. The judge’s order required that a hearing schedule be established within four weeks, aiming to expedite the resolution of these politically sensitive cases.
The Supreme Court’s impending verdict is highly anticipated, as it will address significant questions regarding the powers and responsibilities of legislative speakers in handling defection cases. This decision will not only impact the political careers of the involved MLAs but could also set a precedent affecting the interpretation and enforcement of anti-defection laws across India.
