Supreme Court questions delay in Telangana Speaker’s decision on BRS MLAs’ disqualification case

"As on today, how much time has passed since the first application? It appears to be an year. Why has not the Speaker's office set a deadline for deciding these petitions?" Justice Gavai asked

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday took a stern view of the Telangana Assembly Speaker’s delay in deciding disqualification petitions against 10 MLAs who defected from the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) to the ruling Congress. The matter has been adjourned to next Wednesday.

A bench comprising Justices BR Gavai and AG Masih questioned the prolonged inaction.

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“As on today, how much time has passed since the first application? It appears to be an year. Why has not the Speaker’s office set a deadline for deciding these petitions?” Justice Gavai asked.

Senior Advocate Aryama Sundaram, representing BRS MLA Padi Kaushik Reddy, argued that despite a High Court order in September 2024 directing the Speaker to fix a hearing schedule within four weeks, no notice was issued until January this year.

He stated that one of the defected MLAs even contested the Lok Sabha polls on a Congress ticket and lost but continues to hold his MLA position under BRS. Senior Advocate D Seshadri Naidu also argued on behalf of the petitioners.

“Only after the Supreme Court’s earlier observations did the Speaker issue notices on February 13, giving the defected MLAs three weeks to respond. However, even after the deadline passed, there is no clarity on the status of disqualification petitions,” he said.

On time being sought on the respondents’ side to respond, Justice Gavai cautioned, “Don’t practice delaying tactics in this court.” The bench also questioned whether a constitutional court could direct a Speaker to act within a specific timeline, to which Sundaram asserted, “The Constitution stands above all of us. It is the Court’s duty to ensure its mandate is followed.”