Hyderabad: The Supreme Court on Tuesday, March 25, adjourned the hearing on the Telangana MLA defection case to April 2.

Following the hearing, the Supreme Court bench decided to defer the proceedings, stating that further arguments and documentation were required before reaching a verdict. The court has now set April 2 as the next date for the hearing.

The defection case pertains to 10 MLAs who allegedly switched parties, triggering concerns over anti-defection laws and the political stability of the state. The case has sparked heated debates among political parties, with demands for strict legal action against turncoat legislators.

On March 4, the Supreme Court issued a notice to the Telangana Assembly speaker MLAs, the Assembly secretary, and the election commission.

A bench led by Justice BR Gavai had set March 22 as the deadline for responses criticising the delay. Justice Gavai stressed the need for timely democratic processes, warning against procedural lags that render justice ineffective.

Advocate Aryama Sundaram argued that the Speaker’s inaction amounts to a constitutional failure. Justice Gavai noted that the previous judgment submitted lacked a clear decision timeline. Earlier, a bench of Justice BR Gavai and K Vinod Chandran questioned the Telangana Assembly Speaker about what constitutes a “reasonable period” for deciding disqualification pleas.

KTR files petition on defected MLAs in Telangana Assembly

On January 16, the BRS filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court against the defected MLAs. The petitions urge the Supreme Court to direct the Telangana Assembly Speaker and secretary to take prompt action and establish a timeline for resolving the disqualification cases.

The petition was filed against three MLAs, including Danam Nagender, Kadiyam Srihari, and Tellam Venkat Rao and a writ petition was filed against seven others, mentioning Pocharam Srinivas Reddy, Kale Yadaiah, M Sanjay Kumar, Krishnamohan Reddy, Mahipal Reddy, Prakash Goud and Arekapudi Gandhi.

BRS mentioned that despite a November 2024 ruling by the Telangana High Court directing the Assembly speaker to act on the disqualification pleas under the anti-defection law, no action has been taken since then.

The High Court’s division bench, led by Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice J Srinivas Rao had dismissed a petition seeking direct disqualification and left the matter to the Speaker’s discretion.

Citing the Keisham Meghachandra case, which emphasized the Speaker’s duty to decide on disqualification petitions within a reasonable timeframe, the BRS has appealed to the Supreme Court to enforce a decision within four weeks.

The BRS also noted the lack of action from the Assembly Speaker and the Legislature Secretary, pointing out that even preliminary notices were not issued to the defected MLAs.

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