SC Hears BRS MLAs’ Defection Petition

Hyderabad: The Supreme Court on Friday took up the case of the disqualification of turncoat BRS party MLAs, who switched to the ruling Congress party in Telangana. A bench of Justices BR Gavai and George Masih was hearing a petition filed by BRS party MLA Padi Kaushik Reddy.

The counsel appearing for Kaushik Reddy told the court that the Telangana High Court had in March last year asked State assembly speaker G. Prasad Kumar to take a decision on the turncoat MLAs within four months, but added that no decision had been taken so far by the assembly Speaker. The lawyer alleged that the Speaker was not taking a decision at an appropriate time.

Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the State Legislature secretary, said notices had already been issued to the MLAs in the matter. Rohatgi recalled that the Supreme Court had earlier directed that the assembly Speaker should give adequate time to the MLAs to take a decision. The court asked him as to what was the adequate time in his view to take a decision on the defection of the BRS MLAs?

It also asked whether reasonable time meant till the end of the term of the Assembly on the lines of Maharashtra State? Mukul Rohatgi said they would ask the Speaker to take a decision in the issue at the earliest. The bench asked Rohatgi to find out how much time the Speaker need to take the decision in the issue. The apex court posted the matter for further hearing next week.

The petition was related to the disqualification of the BRS MLAs Kadiyam Srihari, Danam Nagender and Vellam Venkata Rao in the Supreme Court. Ten BRS party MLAs, including Kadiyam Srihari, Danam Nagender and Vellam Venkata Rao, defected to the Congress party after winning from the BRS party. The bench later adjourned the case for four weeks.