Speaker concludes hearing on disqualification petition against Danam Nagender

The hearing on disqualification petitions against Khairatabad MLA Danam Nagender concluded before Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar. A decision on Nagender and Station Ghanpur MLA Kadiyam Srihari is expected soon, ahead of the Supreme Court deadline.

Hyderabad: The hearing on the disqualification petitions against Khairatabad MLA Danam Nagender concluded on Wednesday, with Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar collecting evidence from the petitioners. The disqualification plea against Station Ghanpur MLA Kadiyam Srihari is scheduled for hearing on Thursday.

The Speaker has already completed hearings against eight MLAs who defected from the BRS to the ruling Congress. He dismissed the petitions citing lack of evidence, giving them relief. The decision on both Nagender and Srihari is expected to be announced together, with around two weeks left before the Supreme Court deadline.

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BRS MLA Padi Kaushik Reddy and BJP MLA Yeleti Maheshwar Reddy filed separate petitions challenging Nagender’s defection. Both petitioners appeared before the Speaker and presented their arguments and were cross-examined by the advocates representing Nagender. The petitioners questioned the inordinate delay in disqualification despite what they described as clear evidence.

Addressing the media at the Assembly, Kaushik Reddy said there was sufficient evidence to disqualify Nagender. He asserted that a by-election in Khairatabad was inevitable. He said he submitted documents, including details of Nagender’s association with the Congress and his contesting on the Congress ticket from Secunderabad Parliamentary constituency in 2024 after winning from Khairatabad Assembly constituency on a BRS ticket.