Synopsis
The Telangana Assembly Secretary has issued notices to 10 BRS MLAs who defected to the Congress party, following petitions for their disqualification. This comes after the Supreme Court's directive to establish a reasonable timeframe for such decisions.Key Takeaways
- Telangana Assembly Secretary issues notices to 10 defected BRS MLAs.
- Notices follow BRS petitions for disqualification.
- Supreme Court mandates a reasonable period for disqualification decisions.
- K.T. Rama Rao emphasizes legal clarity on defectors' status.
- Upcoming hearings scheduled for February 10.
Hyderabad, Feb 4 (NationPress) The Secretary of the Telangana Assembly has issued formal notices to 10 MLAs from the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) who switched allegiance to the ruling Congress party last year.
The notices were issued in response to petitions filed by the BRS, requesting the disqualification of these defectors. The implicated MLAs have requested additional time to formulate their responses to the notices received from the Assembly Secretary.
This development follows a recent directive from the Supreme Court, which asked the Telangana Assembly to establish a "reasonable period" for addressing disqualification requests.
A bench comprised of Justices B. R. Gavai and Vinod Chandran directed Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi (who represents the Secretary of the Telangana Legislative Assembly) to consult with the Speaker and provide insights on what a reasonable timeframe would entail.
The Supreme Court has postponed the hearing on the petition submitted by BRS MLA P. Kaushik Reddy, who is seeking the disqualification of three MLAs: Venkata Rao Tellam, Kadiyam Srihari, and Danam Nagender, until February 10.
Additionally, BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao has lodged a petition with the Supreme Court, challenging the delay by the Assembly Speaker in making a decision regarding the disqualification of another seven defected MLAs.
The Supreme Court has combined both petitions and scheduled them for hearing on February 10.
The remarks made by the Supreme Court during the recent session have brought optimism to the BRS faction. On Monday, K. T. Rama Rao urged party members to prepare for upcoming by-elections.
He stated, "It is impossible for the Congress party to protect the defectors any longer, as the law established by the Constitution and prior Supreme Court rulings are distinctly clear," said KTR.
On November 22, 2024, a division bench of the Telangana High Court had instructed the Speaker to make a decision on the disqualification within a "reasonable time".
This ruling annulled a previous order from a single judge that mandated the Speaker's office to announce a timetable within four weeks for resolving disqualification applications from defected MLAs.
The bench suggested that the Speaker should adjudicate disqualification requests in accordance with the 10th Schedule of the Indian Constitution within a ‘reasonable time’. The bench observed that the Speaker should make decisions based on the Anti-Defection Act while considering the five-year term of the Assembly.
In September, the High Court ordered the Speaker's office to present a schedule for the hearings regarding the petitions for MLA disqualification and to provide a copy of this schedule to the High Court Registry.
The Legislative Secretary has contested this ruling and submitted appeal petitions.
BRS MLA P. Kaushik Reddy has also filed a petition with the Supreme Court, contesting the High Court division bench's decision.
Over the past year, ten BRS MLAs have switched their loyalty to the Congress party, including former Deputy Chief Minister Kadiyam Srihari and former Assembly Speaker P. Srinivasa Reddy.
