In a stern observation, the Supreme Court of India on Monday expressed displeasure over the continued delay by Telangana state legislative assembly Speaker G Prasad Kumar in deciding the disqualification of 10 Bharat Rashtra Samithi MLAs who defected to the Congress.
Hearing the arguments on the contempt petition filed by BRS working president K T Rama Rao against the Speaker for not sticking to the deadline of October 31 in deciding on the disqualification of defected MLAs, a bench headed by Chief Justice of India B R Gavai questioned the Speaker’s inaction.
The chief justice asked the Speaker whether he would decide on the disqualification or wanted the courts to take a decision.
Taking serious note of the delay, the apex court issued contempt of court notices to the Telangana Speaker, directing him to file a response within four weeks.
The Court noted that despite earlier directions, no substantial progress had been made in adjudicating the petitions filed under the anti-defection law.
The CJI suggested that the Speaker conduct day-to-day hearings to ensure an expeditious decision in the matter.
The court stressed that disqualification issues strike at the core of democratic representation and cannot remain pending indefinitely.
Advocates representing the Speaker informed the court that the inquiry process would be completed within the next four weeks, and the long-pending matter would not be delayed further.
Accepting the assurance, the Supreme Court adjourned the matter for four weeks, directing that the Speaker must submit a compliance report before the next hearing.
The petitions before the Supreme Court relate to disqualification pleas filed against 10 BRS MLAs who allegedly defected to the Congress in violation of the Tenth Schedule (anti-defection law) of the Constitution.
Petitioners approached the Supreme Court, arguing that the Speaker was deliberately delaying decisions for political reasons. The Supreme Court issued directions to the Speaker to expedite the matter by October 31.
However, the Speaker reportedly made no significant progress, prompting today’s strong intervention.
